When The Sun Goes Down: a Vampire Kisses Fic
by xPunkxKatx
Summary: This is about a girl, well more or less a girl, named Onyx Beauregard, who moves to Dullsville in an attempt to find what she's looking for, an answer to her families curse. She lives with the Sterlings, meets and befriends a girl named Raven...oh, and one more thing, meets Alexander's cousin, Claude. And his gang of misfits. What happens when you're good but evil at the same time?
1. Dia De Los Muertos

Let me get one thing straight at first here, this is my OC Onyx Beauregard. When I created my story, I had no idea there was an Onyx already in the series because I hadn't read that far. My girl Onyx has nothing to do with Onyx and Scarlet.

* * *

"Trick or treat!"  
"Here you go, kiddies!" Raven said, wielding a fake bloody knife in their direction. They ran off in a hurry. "WAIT! THE CANDY!" She screamed through her black lips. She sighed then picked up a Snickers and munched on it sadly.  
"Maybe this town isn't ready for knife wielding at children." Alexander said comfortingly, and put his arms around Raven. "Oh, but they're ready for vampires and insane goths?" She teased, and kissed him hard.  
"Exactly." He smiled, revealing fangs. Fangs that Raven would have believed came from the dollar store a year ago, but now, she knew they were real. Sexy real vampire fangs that she loved only in movies. And now they were real. And she loved that they were all hers.  
CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!  
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Raven jumped into Alexander.  
"Lightning?" He said quizzically, "You're afraid of lightning?"  
"No, just, ever since I found out about Jagger and Claude, i've been a little... on edge lately." She confessed, glancing at Alexander's spider ring he wore on his finger.  
"Just relax, i'm always here." He nuzzled her. She took absolute comfort in that, believing every word.  
CRAAAAAASH!  
Raven didn't even jump.  
About two hours later, Raven walked home, the rain had stopped, and the trick or treaters were going strong again. She passed two cowgirls, three zombies, and five little vampires. Her heart swelled with pride. That night she had decided to dress as herself, but more formal. She wore a tight black dress with a cameo choker and her hair was done up. She looked like a victorian princess. She walked down the road, but a familiar presence brought her to turn around. Jagger?! Claude?! Was her first thoughts. But no, not even the presence of Alexander, was there. Instead she saw a tall girl, about a little more her height, walk up the steps to the mansion. She had her face completely covered in Dia De Los Muertos sugar skull makeup, and a long sweater dress that had skulls all over it. She wore combat boots similar to Raven, and she looked...amazing. Like a gothic beauty. She was a little ways up, but Raven could tell she wasn't from here. The boots said it all. Who was-  
"HEY MONSTER GIRL!" Trevor said, pulling up in his Camero with the same lame vampire get up he had on last year.  
"Yes, my love?" Raven said, annoyed.  
"Why were you just up with Monster Boy? I can see you're still a creepy human."  
"And you're still a sheltered rich boy in a crap car. Are we done here?" She smirked.  
"Do you need a ride home?" He asked, sounded no more sincere.  
"No, and if I did, i'd rather be driven home by Alexander. My boyfriend." She had almost said "My vampire boyfriend" but stopped herself.  
"Whatever, you're lame anyways, babe." He sped off into the night.  
Raven turned around, but the Batty Babe was gone.

"What did she look like?" My best friend, Becky, asked.  
"How should I know?! She was decked out like a skull. But her boots were amazing." I said, biting into a Pop-Tart.  
"So, you think she's gothic, like you?" Becky asked, nervous.  
"Yeah, but, why do you say it like that? You'll always be my number one!" We were walking down the halls of Dullsville High, taking in the usual stares for the unfamiliar. But ever since Alexander had been welcomed into town, I got the occasional wave and cut in line for the drinking fountain.  
But now I have... a new problem. A really bad one.  
"Heyyy, Raven!" Claude said, bounding up to me. A wicked grin on his face.  
"Uh, I have to go to Algebra Raven, see you later so we can catch up on the-"  
"Shh!" I said, making it clear I didn't want Claude and his gang of hoodlums to know what happened last night.  
What did happen last night?  
"You can't stay?" Tripp inquired, going up to her.  
"No." She squeaked, then ran away.  
"You guys," I sighed, "She has a BOYFRIEND!"  
"Well, we're just playing out our options." Tripp informed me, hands together like a master villain.  
I sighed and walked away, "Yeah, well have fun with that." I waved without turning around but didn't get far until all four caught up with me.  
Claude put his arm around me, "So, we missed you last night. Where were you." He asked, implying I wasn't in the graveyard at night like usual.  
The bell rang.  
"Gotta go! Can't be late again!" I smiled and got out of there.  
After school let out I ran past Becky, managed to dodge Claude, and ran home. No way in Limbo was I going to deal with him again. I have five hours until nightfall. What to do? All of a sudden Nightmare was clawing on the door of my room. I walked up to her, and cuddled her and fell on my bed, fast asleep.  
I awoke at around 8, it was dark and there was scratching at my window. "Jagger?" I asked, bolting up. But it was a tree branch. Nightmare was sitting on my windowsill, looking out into the night. If it was a fang-wielding vampire, she would hiss. Time to see Alexander.

Alexander sat himself in front on his oversized flat screen and put in Dracula, just like usual. "Hello, my dear." I said, as I crept up to him and sat on his lap. I had to ask him, and if he didn't know anything of the Skull Girl, Jamison would. Someone had to have given her her candy.  
"Alexa-"  
"Hold on." He lept up and walked out of the room. I could hear Jamison and him whisper in the hallway, then he returned.  
"What was that about?" I asked as he sat down again and pulled me onto his lap.  
"Nothing." He said, straight faced. He wouldn't even look at me. He just watched as Dracula crept across the screen. I hugged his neck. "Alexander?" I asked, quietly.  
"Yes?" He looked up at me.  
"The girl- well, nevermind."  
"Are you sure?" He asked looking into my eyes.  
"Yes." I whispered, and continued to hold onto him.  
After an hour, I couldn't take it.  
"Alexander?" I asked, jumping up.  
"What, what is it?" He looked around.  
"Who was she?"  
"What?!" He looked at me, "Are you feeling alright." He felt my pale head.  
"Yes, but I couldn't get her haunting blue eyes out of my head all night! It was like we knew each other!" I paced the room.  
"Who are you-? Oh, the skull girl?"  
"Yes!" I leaped at him, "Who is she?!"  
Alexander looked as if he wanted to answer, but didn't. "She, was visiting from Hipsterville for Halloween. Richer kids, better candy."  
"Oh." I said, let down. So She wasn't here for good. Even if she was, her eyes weren't enough to identify her. Who knows, she could have been dressed as a beautiful goth for Halloween. I went as a preppy tennis player last year. Alexander could obviously tell I was sad he quickly said, "Listen, we don't need anyone else. I love you. Know that and you'll be fine." He kissed me on my nose and sent me home.


	2. Dullsville Gets a Little More Exciting

"Raven! Get the ball! You have to RUN!" The gym teacher yelled as Raven trudged to get the lime green softball.  
"Look at my little girl run, she grows up so fast!" Trevor mocked from the sidelines. A few people laughed.  
Then Trevor hit the ground just as a lime green softball hit his head.  
"Oops! Sorry, babe, it slipped!" Many more laughs came from the gym class.  
PPPPPPPPPPPPPFT! A whistle blew. Raven stopped laughing.  
"MADISON! PRINCIPLES OFFICE! NOW!"  
Inside the boring white halls of the boring white school and the boring maroon lockers, I trudged to the front office, decided against it, and turned around. I had been called in so many times, I could just sent the principle a greeting card. I sighed and made my way down the front entrance hallway. Great.  
"Raven, long time no see." Claude said, sitting cross legged on the floor with Tripp, outside the lab.  
"What are you two doing out here?"  
"We decided to go against the cruel ways of dissection of pigs and sit this one out."  
"In other words, you had to leave or else it would be a Bloodfest?" I asked, deadpan.  
"Exactly." They said at the same time, grinning.  
Claude leaped up and put his arm around me and said, "Listen, Raven, we need help and you know exactly how to get it."  
"What are you talking about?" I demanded, shoving his arm away and looking him in the face.  
"We...want...the...vials." He said, in his velvety voice, taking my face in his hands.  
"Well I dont-h-have them!" I said, taking my face out from his hands. Tripp was next to me, Ipod in ear. "Listen, this doesn't have to be hard. Just tell us and we'll be on our way back to Romania. Simple." He glanced at Raven.

Then Claude spoke, "Or we could do it my favorite way...the hard way." His face hardened and he looked into Raven's light eyes.  
Tripp examined his hands, "Don't underestimate Claude. He may look sweet and innocent, but really he can be quite rough at times." He grinned.  
The halls were silent. Except for a slam of the front door. In walked in a girl.  
Skull Face.

She walked in as goth as ever. Claude, Tripp and I hid behind a row of lockers. I examined her as she struggled with a locker. Tripp adjusted his glasses.  
She really WAS beautiful. She had gorgeous raven hair put up into a high knot, two little black hoops made up her snake bites. Of course, her ice blue eyes. She adorned black eyeshadow and cat liner. Black lips and two skull clips in her hair. She wore one simple cross necklace. She wore black satin tights, but other than that, she wasn't as gothic.  
Well she was but in another sense. She had a old time gothic look on her, a long sleeved, ruffle-collared, poufy-skirted, old time dress. This one only goes to her knees. It genuinely looked...vintage. Her shoes were black mary janes.  
I was about to step out and bound up to her (the thought had just got to her, she was in her school! ANOTHER GOTH!) when the girl whipped out her boots from the night before, kicked off her mary janes, and slipped on the Ulti-Goth boots. Her boots really were the ultimate gothic boots. Spikes stick out of the front, the chunky boots go up to her knees. With buckles, zippers, and studs everywhere. My eyes were wide with disbelief. She must really have some special reason to love those boots, considering how Vintage-Goth she looked. The she whipped off her bobby pins and hair ties and shook out her hair. She smirked a little.  
Her hair was waist length and had a blue sheen to it. She considered the Mary Janes, the shrugged and threw them in the trash. She looked around, then walked across where we were standing.  
"Who is she?" Claude asked, unreadable expression. For once.  
"She looks like she belongs in one of your grandmothers paintings." Tripp said, re-adjusting his glasses.  
"She's coming over here!" Claude panicked, and pushed me out in front of her.  
The girl just stared, hard.  
"Uh, eh, hey!" I said, and smiled nervously.  
She stared. "Hey." She smirked, her ice blue eyes a warm color. Her voice was high, low and raspy all at the same time. I relaxed and exhaled. So she wasn't a stuck up goth like the rest of the Hipsterville girls. She was...familiar.  
"I-i'm Raven." I said, still shaken up from the push.  
"Names Onyx." She said in a raspy voice as she looked up at me with her blue almond eyes and touched the cross on her chest.  
She glanced around and said in a low, velvet voice, "what times lunch. I'm seriously starving."  
Her question took me by surprise, "Oh, it's around, er, 12. I think it's hamburgers." Really?  
"Oh! My favorite!" She grinned, "So, this is Dullsville High. Wow, it's so...white. Really says something about the people who attend here. Lemme guess, all clean snob freaks?"  
"YES! And I say Dullsville too! Oh my goodness! And may I tell you how much I love your boots?!"  
"I love your hair! I want mine shaggy, but I can't I have a weird family." A expression crossed her face when she said 'weird'  
She crossed the hall, almost spotting Claude and Tripp, who were watching with interest at the newest ghoul. Claude had the wicked look on his face from when he said he would devour Becky if I didn't help him. He licked his lips, his fangs hanging out.  
She sniffed with her straight nose, "Do I smell...blood?" She looked up, her raven hair moving with every glance. Her eyes were almond, I noted, but still round on the edges. Her lashes were long and spiderweb like.  
"Blo-blood?" I asked, nervous. Then I remembered, "Oh duh! They're dissecting in the lab. I'm sure we could go check it out." Honestly, I could smell it too, it was a little strong.  
"Good! I'm in the mood for some blood." She giggled, then noticed my expression. "What?" She said, not realizing what she had said. Then she kicked me a little with her boots, minding the spikes. "I'm totally kidding, Raven! A little gothic culture humor? You don't like vampires. Wait, you aren't scared of vampires are you?!" She giggled some more and looked at me, "Are you?" She said, being serious. I could feel Claude and Tripp looking at me and listening intently.  
"No! But I mean I just met you and I didn't expect you to be this open..."  
"I feel like I know you. So, I thought I could. I also have a feeling we're the only one's of our kind here."  
Our kind? Vampire keepers? "I feel like I know you too! As soon as I seen you! But... our kind?"  
"Gothic."  
"Oh!"  
"So, the scene on the guys must be very, goody-goody, eh? No Band members, graffiti artists, vampires?" She laughed and looked at me, completely innocent. It's amazing how she can look like a cute little girl sometimes and a gothic supermodel the next.  
"'fraid not." I stopped her as she walked up to where the two boys were hiding. They owed me. Maybe they won't kill Becky, now? Doubtful.  
"Hey, I have to go!" She glanced at the clock.  
"But you just asked when lunch is." I laughed, and put my hand on her velvet arm.  
"I really have to go...my brother needs me, I can't leave him."  
"Well, okay." I let her go.  
Actually sad and not enviable to see someone go out the doors of Dullsville High early.


	3. Fresh Meat?

Directly after new girl left into the blinding sun, I moved over to Tripp and Claude who weren't even sitting. They were staring intently at me.  
"So, who's your friend, Raven?" Claude asked, same expression as before.  
"Put your fangs away. I don't even know her."  
"You seem to say she was familiar enough." Tripp pointed out.  
"Yeah, well-"  
New girl ran back in, her hair a wild, but cute, mess. She pulled out her mary janes from the trash, pulled her hair above her cheek bones into a messy bun, threw her boots into her locker and turned to Raven. Tripp and Claude didn't move. They stared, Claude against the lockers hair in his eyes, and Tripp still sizing the girl up. I ran up to her, trying to make her steer clear of these guys at any means necessary.  
She ran towards the door, winked at Raven, looked past her for maybe a second, then she remembered she had somewhere to be, then ran out the door.  
"So how did you like school?" Derek asked me as he sat at his desk, working on something secretive.  
"I wouldn't know. I had to come find you." I said, annoyed, "Shouldn't you be asleep, bum?" I added, mumbling.  
"Onyx, it's not my fault I was stuck where I was. You could've come to get me last night, but no."  
"Oh shut up and go paint your fingernails black or something." I commented, then shut my eyes and let my music take me away.  
When I awoke, it was around eleven p.m.  
"Onyx?" I heard Derek say from my doorway.  
"Whatttttt?" I grumbled.  
"Mom said she's going to go visit dad and Aunt Annabella tomorrow night."  
"SERIOUSLY!?" I sat up and was wide awake.  
"Woah, i'll tell her you're upset about it." He teased.  
"You know what this means!"  
What it means was that we would have no one to watch us, well except for our servant. I could leave whenever, do whatever...DRESS HOWEVER!"  
"I CAN WEAR MY FISHNETS!" I pumped my fists in the air, in total victory.  
"You're a freak." My brother shook his head and backed out, "Oh, and Alexander still wants to meet you."  
"Whatever." I mumbled, slammed my head on my pillow, and put my headphones back in my ears.  
My mood was ruined.  
But not really. Cuz my 'mom' was gone in t minus 24 hours.  
"YESSSS!"

"So you met her?!" Becky asked as I briskly walked into school.  
"Yes! She's goth and she's amazing!"  
"Oh."  
"It's fine, Becky. She's not stuck up, she's a little like me."  
"That's what I'm worried about." Becky said, fondling her braids. Then Matt came up to us. "Hey babe." He said and kissed Becky on her nose.  
"Exactly" I huffed and walked away.  
What's it like having a human boyfriend? Stop it, Raven. You're lucky to have a good boyfriend who isn't like Claude or Jagger.  
"HEY FREAK GIRL! DID YOU SEE YOUR TWIN TODAY?!" Trevor yelled at me down the hallway gesturing to where I had met Onyx. I ran to her locker.  
Sure enough, she was there, same get-up as yesterday, with her boots and hair down.  
Her makeup was less than before, probably her 'weird' family. She had less eyeshadow and light purple lipstick. The dress seemed frillier too.  
"ONYX!" I said smiling, happy to see her face.  
"Raven!" She said back her gorgeous face springing to life, "Wazzup?" She hugged me.  
"Nothing much, just hauling it back to Dullsville High for another torture session."  
"Don't I know it." She grinned, then pulled out a Hello Batty pen and started to write in her Olivia Outcast: Special Edition journal.  
"I love that pen!" I said, feeling the fur on it.  
"Have it. Mom got it for me in Japan." She handed me the pen, unaware of people staring, some in an approving, most in a scorning.  
"Really? Japan?" I gaped.  
"She travels a lot." She said in a bored voice. The bell rang.  
"Gotta go, babe!" She winked and hopped up and ran to her homeroom.

"Class, settle down, this is our new student." The teacher gestured to me, I just stared and popped my gum, acting uninterested.  
"Where's Raven?" Someone asked, "looks like her freaky clone got loose again...judging on her outfit a few hundred years ago." A few scattered laughs. It was a guy with blonde hair and a soccer jersey.  
"Trevor, now come on-"  
"No, it's okay, Mrs. Trenton, I think it's cute of him to try as hard as he does." She smirked at Trevor like he was a five year old and held her hand to her heart. He returned with a gaze. She held it, and he broke away first.  
"It is isn't it?" The teacher smiled, "Alright, Onyx, sit anywhere."  
"But, really, isn't Raven supposed to be in here?" Someone yelled.  
"Yes, but she insisted on her and Becky changing for some odd reason."  
I chose a seat in the back, near a group of empty desks. Perfect. I can sit here and just draw or something normal boring people do in homeroom.

"How nice of you four to join us!" The teacher said in a mock happy voice.  
I glanced up and saw four kids coming to the four desks to my right. One was tall, punk and had a wicked grin on his face. One had devil horns and a amazing lolita dress. Another had a cell phone and head phones in with glasses. Another had gauges, and looked like he could take anyone in this room. Twice.  
The two looked familiar. Oh yeah, yesterday I was leaving I noticed them for a split second. How did I not notice them? They were totally...her.  
I don't feel up to the challenge of making friends, I told myself, focus on why you're here. But the punk one looked so...interesting. Something pulled me towards him. I locked eyes with his. Blue. I let my gaze fall to my book. No. Focus on your mission tonight, then you can dig on him all you want.  
They took their seats and soon the room filled with noise. Music, phones, chatter, annoying giggling girls. I rolled my eyes and chewed on my piercings. I felt a kick on my seat. I looked down and who else was it but Soccer Star Trevor on my book rack, grinning. "Pardon me it might be hard to remember this, but this is MYYYY DEESSSK." I explained like a kindergarten school teacher, removing his feet one by one. I slammed my book down and looked him in him eyes with my almond ones.  
"Thank you, Morticia. But I believe sharing is carrrrring, babe." He said back, placing his legs back up one by one.  
I knew I had an audience, at least of the back row.  
"Fine, babe." I said, and slammed my spiked boots into his Diesel covered legs, putting my outstretched feet on his, you're right, this IS fun." I smiled.  
"OWWWWWWWWWWWWWIE!" He claimed, jumping up, making a noise no guy should ever make.  
"You sounded like a...girl!" I giggled, covering my mouth with my hand. I could hear Devil Horns chuckling too. So was the entire back row. Trevor just looked back with a vengeance and walked out the door, the teacher not looking up.  
"Bye, bye, Trevie! Don't miss me too much, babe!" I called and waved. I fell back into my desk, my hair falling into my hair and smirking to myself. I could feel the creepy quartet looking at me, burning a hole through my raven hair. I slowly turned around, picking up my Hello Batty pen, and looked up. Punky was leaning back in his desk, face towards the ceiling, then he looked down at me for a while, then closed his eyes and put the wicked smirk back on his face.  
Electricity through my veins.  
I crossed my legs on my desk, took out my old Ipod and placed it in my ears and slammed my head on my desk. Why am I here? I let the sound of Gorillaz fill my ears until I felt a sharp tap on my back.  
I looked up, "wazzit?" I said tiredly.  
"The bell." Devil Horns said in her velvety deep voice. I flashed a careful half smile at her and packed up.  
I walked into the halls of the school, feeling low on energy and everything else. I needed to finish my mission. TONIGHT. Before mom leaves! This will be perfect!  
I trudged up to my locker, turned the dial and threw my books into it. I might just skip the rest of the day and roam the halls.  
I waited until the dull students of Dullsville had safely made it to their classes. Then I sat hidden in a corner where Raven and I had talked yesterday, about the same time I noted, and planned my plan.  
Ten minutes later, I stared at a blank page. When I was low on fuel, I'm nothing. Suddenly, two shadows loomed over my notebook. "Trevor if thats you, I can assure you that I WILL kick you again, babe." I said in my girly voice.  
"That won't be necessary." Said a velvety voice. I glanced up. The two guys from the homeroom. Punky and Tech Boy. For some reason, I stood up, remembering the weak state I was in and not wanting to introduce myself like this. "I was just...leaving." I said, swaying the tiniest bit. I steadied myself and looked at the two taller boys blocking my exit. "Excccccuuuse me." I sang, then huffed when they wouldn't let me out.  
"So, where are you staying exactly?" Punky asked me.  
"What is this? The census?" I complained.  
"We heard you have a pretty swanky stay while you're here." Tech Boy smirked at me, knowing he knew what I meant.  
"The Sterlings place? So?" I asked, not understanding.  
A look flashed in Punky's face when I said that name.  
"So how do you like the company?" Punky asked, leaning against the lockers.  
"I don't know. I haven't met Alexander, but I heard he thinks he's a narcissist and superior to everyone else. But that came from my Aunt Arabella..." I was rambling and I needed to stop. I needed fuel.  
Tech Boy glanced at Claude who was smiling basically, "I think we could get along." I returned the smile, "Interesting notion."  
"Why aren't you in class?" Tech Boy quizzed me through his glasses.  
"Cuz it sucks, why aren't you?"  
"Dissection day. We feel strongly about the safety of our animal friends." They shared a smile, like an inside joke.  
"I thought I smelled fresh blood." I uttered with my deep voice, "that could be what is making me sick." I said quickly.  
"Right." Tech Boy said, not satisfied.  
"Any reason you two are blocking me?"  
"Nope." The said in unison, not budging. I slumped against the lockers, about to give out. Tech Boy and Punky tried to help me up, then Tech Boy stepped back and stared at me hard. Then Punky did the same after a while. I was confused, the I noticed it. Then hard metal of the lockers reflection was just that.  
Hard metal.  
Empty. No reflection.  
We just stared at each other. Realization crept over me like a million tiny maggots. I just pushed past them and ran out the door.


	4. My Mission

"They saw you have no reflection?!" Derek yelled, freaking out.  
"Yes! Calm down! It'll be okay, just stay here! Like you have a choice." I smirked. Then fell onto my bed.  
"Onyx," Derek started, with his warning voice.  
"What?!" I snapped.  
"Don't."  
"DON'T WHAT?! YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THIS! I DO!" I yelled as I stormed out of my room, past my 'mom' and out the front door.  
My mission had no strategy. It was now personal.  
"So," Kat started, "You're sure she's what you say she is?"  
"Yes. Positive. She had no reflection whatsoever." Claude put in, looking around the dark graveyard.  
"Yeah, well, i'll see it when I believe it." She said, filing her nails.  
"Fine. Do you want to see it?" Claude questioned.  
"Excuse me?"  
"Follow me." He held up a Olivia Outcast: Special Edition journal.  
"That is?" Rocco said.  
Tripp took over, "Look, she dropped her journal in the hallway running away from us," he flipped to a page, "all it says is The Shamrock Bar at eleven tonight."  
Tripp looked at his watch. "Its eleven." He quipped.  
"What do you propose she'll do? Turn into Bat Woman?" Kat said sarcastically.  
"Kat, you're no fun when you're hungry." Claude complained.  
"Yeah whatever, you two go, i'll stay here with Rocco."  
"What happened to seeing is believing?"  
"I knew it when I saw her walk through the front door of the school. No human can be that pale. Not even Raven." She smirked and continued to file her nails.  
"C'mon Tripp, let's go find us a vampire." Tripp grinned and complied.

"Come on, next person who walks out." I pepped talked myself.  
A drunk guy in a flannel shirt passed the alley, I ducked into the shadows.  
DAMN IT! In short, when i'm hungry i'm shy and calm, when i'm fully full, I am cunning, somewhat, well Derek called me evil but he's just a jerk, I prefer...confident. It's not me being a vampire that makes me evil... "Come ON!"  
"Exxxcuse me?" Said a swaying guy, looking directly down the alley. A black cross dangling from his neck caught my eye.  
"W-what?" I asked.  
"Ya know, you're pretty hot...for a freak." He giggled like an idiot. I was starting to feel the side effects of withdraw. I fell into the cement wall. The guy came up to me, I could smell the cheap two dollar beer on his breath. I started to panic. I can't do this. I can't.  
"How would you like to take a walk on the normal side?" He said, pinning me to a wall. Usually I would take someone like him down in two seconds, but tonight. I just...can't.  
He started to inch closer to my face. "NO!" I yelled and with all the remaining strength I had, I pushed him to the brick wall with a terrifying crack and lunged into his neck. My teeth sinking gracefully into his neck.  
I arose, blood on my face. "Heh." I chuckled and wiped the remaining blood from me mouth, "Look you got it on my new boots. Ew get me out of these clothes" I giggled and rolled my eyes, I started to walk away then hung back and looked around. Was someone...watching me? Eh well.  
I bent over my victims body, snatched the cross necklace, put it on my neck, kissed him on the cheek, and threw him in the dumpster. I tossed me hair, reapplied my blackest black lipstick and skipped away, past the park and back to my house. I suddenly felt a lot better and felt that school tomorrow would be a lot, lot better.

"Thats her." Tripp said, ducking behind some hedges along the edge of the park.  
"What's she doing? She's just sitting in the alley like a freak."  
"Well, compared to normals, she kinda is." He smirked.  
Claude smirked back, "Wait there's a guy. What an idiot. Waiting in the alley."  
"Is he attacking her?" Tripp asked, adjusting his glasses.  
They both watched as the superhot creature of the night sank her fangs into the strangers neck and pulled them out, glistening in the moonlight.  
"Woah." Claude whispered.  
"Well, that answers that." Tripp said, his hands together.  
They also watched as she ripped the necklace and skipped away.  
"She's coming over here. Hide." They both ducked down as the giggling vampire skipped past them.  
"Let's go back to the cemetery, we have a lot to do."

"Where is she?!" I asked no one in particular pacing in front of Onyx's locker. It was twenty minutes before the bell rang to let the bus riders inside. Only a few handful of people were in the halls. Me, Becky, and the Creepy Quartet, were some of them. They were huddled by Kat's locker, talking.  
"Wherever she is, i'm sure she's trying to hurry."  
"But I want you to meeeet her! She's awesome. She kinda dresses like you too!" I smiled, so did Becky.  
Suddenly, a burst of warm breeze hit Raven and she looked over to the door. Everyone turned. In walked Onyx, only...it didn't look like Onyx. This girl had a glow to her, her skin still pale, but with a confident glow. She had big smokey cat eyeliner, black-black lips, and rosy cheeks. Her snake bites shone. Her hair bounced way more than it did two days ago, if thats possible. She wore stack after stack of studded bracelets, a ear cuff, and about 15 necklaces, most crosses. She had on a Skeleanimal plushie backpack.  
The really strange part was her outfit. Purple boned corset with off the shoulder long sleeves, black short shorts, fishnets, and her classic combat boots. She had a belt with a bat resembling my necklace charm on her hips. You could make out a tattoo on her right side of her hip. She smirked as she walked, hips moving... she seemed... confident. Like all of her is confidence. She smiled at me and kept walking, like she had somewhere to be. Then I noticed. Trevor was staring. He wasn't the only one... so was Claude, and Tripp and all of them. Staring. Who wouldn't? A semi-shy goth girl gone dark-goddess-babe overnight. That outfit doesnt meet the requirements, not by a long shot, and thats what Raven admired. She wasn't afraid of what people thought. Raven's heart swelled with pride.  
"So... she dresses like me?" Becky asked.

I waltzed up to my locker and flung it open with a few flicks of my wrist. I threw my books into the metal abyss, and had the same burning feeling I got in homeroom. I glanced towards Claude and them, and sure enough, Kat was looking at me. She had an approving smile on her red lips, and it pulled me towards them. I knew I looked hot, especially since I 'transformed' over night. It would be a new chapter for me. I skipped up to Claude, my necklaces clinging.  
"I believe you have something of mine?" I said in a lowered voice, tilting my head and holding out my hand, which was adorned in rings.  
"And that would beeee?" Claude said, when he finally regained his composure.  
"My note book, duh." I smirked, "Ah!" I reached for it in Kat's locker, and she let me.  
I waved it like a victory flag, "thanks!"  
"Wait." Claude said, wicked grin. I love that grin.  
Stop it. You still need an answer, and a cure. Not a heart break.  
"Yesss?" I said, feigning boredom.  
"Where'd you get that necklace, is it...new?" He looked into her eyes, his glinting with knowing.  
"Just another gift from a...friend." I said slowly twirling my necklace, then walked away.  
They stood there stunned, and I just kept walking, replaying the scene over and over in my head. Nope, couldn't have gone any better.  
"Even I'm going to say it." Kat said, "She's perfect." She tilted her head.  
Everyone in the group knew approval from Kat was hard to get, and someone who got it...deserved it.  
And Onyx deserved it. Oh, did she deserve it


	5. The Narcissistic Neighbor

"Woooow, babe, you look good, big sale at the graveyard?" Trevor commented as he sized me up.

"Thanks, hon, but shouldn't you be over there with the rest of the sheltered soccer snobs?" I asked, pointing to the direction of the back field with a black nail.

"Now you know I can't leave my little Monster in her time of need!" He said, offended.

"Who says I need you?" I looked up at him through my spidery lashes.

"I can show you the normal side of things, if you know what I mean." He leaned on the lockers and winked at me. Gross.

"Please do." I said forcefully, stepping up to him with my lethal boots. He backed up.

"Woah, calm down." He tried to hide a satisfied smirk. I turned around to try to find people worthy of me to talk to. There weren't any.

Raven came up to me and Trevor, "Onyx, you look so... Gothic!" She gushed.

"I know! My parents left town and so now that gives me permission to do whatever I want." I spun around, necklaces clinging together. My cat collar jingled.

"Where'd you get the necklaces? They are so awesome." She picked up the black one from my neck.  
"Excuse me, hot soccer player over here." Trevor said, then rolled his eyes and walked away.

"Somewhere in Romania. I don't remember." I said quickly, "but... you can have this one." I said removing a random silver chained bat and gave it to her. "It almost matches my choker!" She cried and threw it on. The bell rang and I flew away.

"Just pay attention to the screen, shut your mouths, and enjoy." Mumbled our science teacher, Mr. Blume. He knew no one would be quiet during the video. Especially not since the new girl Onyx's transformation. There were three rows of big black tables, bolted to the ground, and they went back about four rows. I sat in the second to last desk on the very right of the room. Claude and Tripp sat behind me, with my luck. I bet they changes their schedules, just to piss me off.

"Raven." Claude said, appearing behind me.

"What?" I asked very annoyed., as Mr. Bloom called in the tech teacher to fix the projector. All day I had dreamed of seeing Alexander, introducing him to Onyx, and going on midnight picnics all together as a big gothic family. And now Claude was going to ruin it by opening his big, fanged, pierced mouth. "What do you want from me?" I asked again.

"Raven, you know what we want. I've explained the whole thing before."

"Stop bugging me about it! Can't you just go... summon your grandma or something?" I waved him off, glancing at my fingernails.

"Raven, you know that isn't possible." Tripp said, like he was talking to a six year old, "But we know something you can do." He smirked.

"What?" I asked cautiously, "What do you want me to do?"

"Bring us Onyx." Claude said sternly.

"What?! I can't just bring you a human being! She's not an animal!" The boys exchanged knowing glances and grins.

"Besides, why do you want her? Just go talk to her. I'm sure with the two of you, you can both work up enough charm to 'convince' her to the dark side." Like I'd ever let THAT happen.

"Well, it's either THAT or we could just...have some fun with her." He got closer to my face, "if you know what I mean." He wasn't smiling.  
I shuddered. I knew EXACTLY what he meant.

Onyx sneaked in about ten minutes into the movie about the ocean floor. She was paler than usual. "What's wrong?" I asked.

Onyx replied, "I just got lost... I forgot where I was going." She panted. She surveyed the room to see who was in it, even though it was hard in the dark. Her eyes lingered on Kat and Rocco, then she turned around and faced Tripp and Claude. Claude smiled and waved, like an innocent child. Onyx returned the favor. "hola" She smirked. Claude looked at me, and I knew why. If I didn't deliver Onyx to him soon, Onyx would be the next thing on the menu for the four of them. Why are they so...evil?!

Onyx stretched her fishnet clad legs and arms out and sighed, "So, anyone know of any fun things to do around this town, besides the bowling alley?" She playfully rolled her eyes high to the ceiling.

"Most guys hang at the bar." I responded back playfully. A look flashed over Onyx's face, then quickly disappeared. She gave a weary smile. She glanced towards the window that faced the town. "Not really my style." She mumbled.

"I've been there." Claude announced suddenly, looking directly at Onyx with his piercing blue eyes, "But I much rather prefer the alley outside the bar, more my style." He grinned.

"What? The alley?" I asked dumbly, completely lost.

"Nothing." Onyx said quietly, not taking her gaze off of Claude's, who just sat there with the same smirk on his face and his fingers laced together. Onyx broke away and stared down at the table, playing with her black cross necklace. The cat bell around her neck jingled slightly. Her leg bounced mercilessly underneath the table, the zippers making noise on her boots. Her eyes darted up at the screen which held sea turtles eating random colored fish, then back down to her Olivia Outcast notebook.

Then she stopped abruptly. She noticed a page had been puppy-dog eared. She flipped it open with grace and her face went down two shades of white. She quickly closed it and ran out of the room. Everyone turned to me. Shortly after the bell rang. Claude and his gang went out first, and I didn't see Onyx the rest of the day.

Okay, calm down. Just because the page was marked, doesn't mean that they saw me at the bar. But he did say all those things about the bar alley and my necklace. I said to myself in my head, pacing back and forth across my black shag rug in my room. My black cat Rebel paced at my feet then batted at my shoe strings. What do I do? Do I ask him about it, or do I pretend that he's crazy and I have no idea what he's talking about.

Just then, Derek burst into my room, "Onyx, Alexander wants to see you." He said, calmly.

"Well, I don't wanna see him, okay? I'm not in the mood to deal with our narcissistic neighbor right now!"

"Whatever, you need to calm down. He's nice enough to let us stay here while we're having... family problems," He chose the word carefully, "So the least you could do is be a little more respectful." I was silent as I stared down at my rug and held Rebel close to me then said, "The only reason they let us stay here is because Alexander's family has it out for aunt Arabella's mansion wen the get done with this one!"

Derek sighed and gave up, "whatever, 'Nyx, just stay here then. I'm leaving for now, i'll be back before the sun comes up. Just... don't come looking for me, i'll be at the park."

"For?" I whipped around, koal-lined eyes accusing.

"Nothing like that," he said a bit too harshly, "and like you're one to judge! You don't think I don't know where you were last night?!" I stepped back, shocked. He had never blown up on my before. He breathed deeply then said in quiet voice, "Onyx, where did you get that black cross." He looked at it gently, then at me.

I just stared at the ground, tears of frustration in my eyes, "You don't understand! I had to! I HAVE TO DEREK!"

"Onyx, listen-"

"GET OUT, JUST GET OUT!" I threw my Malice in Wonderland pillow at the door, and Derek backed out.  
"Just... promise me you'll stay here! PROMISE!"  
"FINE WHATEVER! JUST GET OUT NOW!" He listened.

I laid on my bed and let the tears of frustration rolled down my face for an hour, and finally fell into a deep sleep.

I awoke to the sound of Marilyn Manson, "Derek?" I said, half asleep. Did he come back? Then I remembered the previous events of the night. Suddenly, I was annoyed at being awoken from my REM cycle. I groggily trudged out of bed, almost tripping over Rebel and his twin sister Anarchy in their cat bed, and out of my warm room into the cold hallway. I rubbed my eyes and yawned, following the sound of the music. "Derek, you are so dead." I said through clenched teeth. I located the source of the noise up a flight of carpeted stairs, into what I thought was the attic.  
"Derek! Derek, shut that off right now, I'm trying to sleep!" I pounded angrily on the door. The music stopped, "THANK you!" I sighed and began walking down the stairs, when the door flew open.  
I turned around swiftly, my cat bell jingling and my hair hitting me in the face. "uh." I mumbled. It wasn't Derek. Instead, a tall lanky guy in black jeans and black button-down shirt stood in front of me. He stared. I stared.  
He finally spoke, "Onyx?" He asked in a soft voice.  
"Yes." I nodded.  
"I'm-"  
"Alexander." I said, walking back up the stairs. He didn't look narcissistic, he didn't look like he even judges anyone.  
"Was my music bothering you?" He asked.  
"N-no. I thought it was my brother, Derek. But it's fine. I actually love Marilyn Manson." I rambled.  
"Oh, well, as do I." He smiled. This was the narcissistic brat? Suddenly, I felt bad about pre-judging him. "Wait here!" I called, skipping down the stairs and running to my room. "Buh, buh, buh, buh..." I said, as I ran my fingers along my CD cases, "Ah-hah!" I said, and ran back up to Alexander. He was in the same spot I told him to. I handed him a jewel CD case that read, 'Onyx's Summer 2011!'  
"It's been listened to a lot, so it might skip, but it has all my favorite songs on it." I said, handing it to him.  
He smiled and said, "I can't wait to listen to it."  
"But at a lower volume!" I joked, pointing my finger at him. He laughed, he went back into his room and pulled out a CD case, "Sorry, I can't choose just one, but these are all my home made ones, so you can listen to them all if you want." I gratefully accepted them.  
"I didn't imagine you to look like this." He said unexpectedly. I blinked, "oh? How then?"  
"Well, your mother described you as a quiet, keep to herself girl. You don't seem like that at all to me."  
"Thanks!" I grinned, accepting the compliment, "and you aren't at all what my Aunt said you were."  
"Oh?"  
"Yeah, she said you were, really more of a loud obnoxious type." I chose my words carefully.  
"Oh no, that's more my cousins speed." He said hardly.  
"Thanks for the CD's, but my kittens are scratching at the door and if I don't get back, I won't have a bedroom door." I teased. "Bye, Onyx, I'm glad we could finally meet." He smiled and shut his door.  
I happily skipped down the steps again and opened my door careful to maneuver around the cats, but unsuccessfully. I dropped the CD's, "common Ana', move!" I said frustrated, picking up the CD's. One read, "Raven and Alexander's Mix!" I froze. Raven? As in MY Raven?! What was she doing on this CD?! I needed to talk to her, but I promised Derek I would stay here! I would have to endure one more night, but I hate not being in the know. I quickly collected the CD's, shoved one into the machine, and tried to fall asleep. Completely unsuccessful, of course.


	6. This One Crucial Moment

With sleeping unsuccessful, I decided the best way to clear my mind on all the utter madness and chaos going on was to just walk it off. In the graveyard. I absolutely love the graveyard. It's where I think, and don't feel so alone. I know I promised Derek I would stay inside, but I just...can't . I feel like I need to be here, right now. I gazed up at the stars and found my way up to Alexander's grandmothers grave. I sat beside it and just stared at the stars.  
I thought a lot. I thought about my mom, my brother, my whole family and how it would all just... be better if I let and possible never came back. There would be news alerts of missing people, and bodies found with puncture wounds to their necks, and how they all had necklaces the day they departed, but mysteriously disappeared, and they would know I was alive. But I couldn't do that to my brother. He knows how much I need to get help. "If only there was a Vampires Anonymous." I said, rolling my eyes.  
Then I heard a snap. I whipped around, if it was warm-blooded I could take it, easily. I rolled onto my stomach, and rolled over my head and hopped up. "Hereee little rabbit, squirrel, wolf thing, whatever you are!" I glanced around, not behind the grave marked "Young", or the one marked "McGregor."  
Then I heard a rustle of leaves. I held onto my cat bell and my many crosses to keep from making any noise. I can usually tide over a few hours on anything but humans, unlike the "normal" vampires. I use the term "normal" as in full-blooded vampires. "This is really getting annoying. I'd rather just go hang out in the back alleys then look for you." I stood on a tall grave and looked up into the tree branches. "Okay, i'm done." I gave up. I was walking away from the graveyard when I heard branches snap for the second time. "That's it." I said, running into some shrubs, knocking myself over and running through them completely underestimating their density. I stumbled, losing my balance in my chunky boots, and fell into a shallow hole.  
I swallowed and climbed out, backing up, when I focused back onto what I was looking at, I didn't believe it. Four deep graves. All unmarked. All perfect in squares. I shuddered, thinking about what- or who- made them. I backed up, deciding I should let the rabbit-squirrel-wolf live when I bumped into something- make the TWO something- and screamed.

Well, I tried to scream anyway, but a pale hand blocked my mouth. My screams were muffled as I punched and kicked the air. "Woah, calm down!" Said a familiar velvety voice. I whipped around and came face-to-face with Tripp and Claude. "Boo." Claude smirked.  
"What are you doing out here?! You had me following your sounds and had me thinking it was a squirrel!"  
"Why would you be following a squirrel?" Tripp asked, pushing his glasses onto his nose. I stood there, thinking. "Why are you out here?!" I asked again, trying desperately to change the subject. "You really don't think we don't know?" Tripp asked, sounding like he wanted an answer.  
"What are you talking about?" I snapped, rubbing my arms in a force of habit.  
"Come on, Onyx, think!" Claude said walking in circles around me, "the alley, the necklace, the reflection, the transformation." He looked at me up and down, twice.  
"I have no idea what you're talking about." I said quietly, looking at the ground.  
"No need to be ashamed." Tripp said.  
"Have you noticed any shallow graves around here?" Claude asked, pointing to one to was standing at. I warily leaned over it, not taking my eyes off of Claude.  
The grave held a coffin.  
A coffin which had crude etchings of random things on them, and crude letters that simply read, 'Claude'." I caught my breath. I leaned over and read the other coffins, 'Kat', 'Rocco', and 'Tripp' were all etched onto the hard cherry-wood.  
I stumbled back and fell back onto a shrub looking at a smirking Tripp and Claude the whole time. Then the whole thought hit me.  
They.  
Are.  
Vampires.  
Just like me. Then Claude flashed me a smile, fangs reflecting in the moonlight. I grinned to myself, and flashed one in return. So they knew. But how long did the know? Since I got here? Since they saw me, or since they didn't see me in the lockers? I had to know. I was still basking in the glow of having someone else of my kind be living in Dullsville. I slowly strode up to where the boys were smugly standing, like they knew that their plan would work the whole time. "So," I began, "How long?"  
"Pardon?" Tripp said, slightly confused.  
"How long have you know that I'm a blood sucking creature of the undead?" I said in a mock deadly voice, raising my hands high in the air.  
"Well," Claude looked at Tripp who thought for a moment, "Since the time you didn't appear in the rows of lockers. That was a big clue right there. But I'm pretty sure we felt it the day we pushed Raven out to talk to you."  
"I thought so but- wait, wait, Raven didn't come to talk to me on her own? You two made her?"  
"Yep."  
"What? I thought she wanted to know me, not be forced to! I thought I saw someone behind the lockers!"  
"Onyx, Onyx, calm down, you have us now, we're one of you." He put his hands on her shoulders playfully, but whispered the words 'one of you'. I shivered as the tingles ran down me again. "Yeah, you're right. But maybe it was just fate. Where's Kat and Rocco?" I said quickly looking around.  
"It happens at school, too. They always seem to buddy up and disappear, looking for food or whatever. Ya know, Rocco does all the work and Kat kinda lazily follows. "  
"My kinda woman." I said to no one in particular, then for no reason spouted out, "I met Alexander tonight." I needed to tell someone I knew.  
"And?" Claude waited.  
"He doesn't seem nearly as egotistical or narcissistic as Arabella made him out to be. He said, and I quote, 'That work is better left to my cousin.'" I said absent-minded. Claude didn't seemed pleased with my answer. "Uh-oh" Tripp said under his breath, grinning a bit.  
"He. Said. WHAT?" He bursted.  
"Yeah, he said all of that. Why? What's wrong? Do you know his cousin?"  
Claude seemed to cool down and ran his fingers through his bleached blonde hair, "Yes, actually, very well in fact. And he may be a bit like that, but everyone else seems to love him." He smiled. I caught Tripp trying to secretly roll his eyes.  
"I have to go!" I said, hurriedly looking up at the dark blue sky.  
"What, why?" Claude said, taking my arm.  
"The suns coming up and I have to be back before my brother gets home!" I said, pleading.  
"Wait wait wait, are you trying to say that your brother is a full vampire and you are a halfie? How does that even work?" He said, a bit judging.  
"Who said I was a 'Halfie'?" I said, a bit offended.  
"Look, Onyx, we need something." Claude said abruptly, obviously trying to change the subject.  
"What?" I said hesitantly.  
"We need to look for something very important." Tripp continued.  
"Like?" I pressed.  
"We need blood that my grandmother hid, and we need them quickly. You are the perfect person to help us."  
"Why would you need those?" I wrinkled my nose at the thought of 100 year old vampire blood.  
"They help with our little...problem." Oh, I get it. They're halfies, yeah that parts easy, but they must need 'ancient, mystic blood' for a special ritual or something that helps them transform into full vampires! "I get it!" I shouted out loud, "oops." I muttered.  
Wait, Onyx, think it over. What can you benefit from this? Also, these guys don't seem all that...trusting. Think about it, they followed you into an alley basically, to spy on you. Creeper alert. "I'll think about it." I said, then walked away. I didn't turn back to see their hurt expressions, or whatever they might have on their faces.

VAMPIRES! I shouted in my head, the thought finally hitting me, THERE ARE OTHER VAMPIRES AROUND HERE LIKE ME! I smiled the whole way home, but then my smile faded fast.

No other vampire is like me. Not a one.


	7. Meanwhile, Outside the Mansion

"What are we doing this for?!" Kat asked, obviously annoyed as she dove behind bush after bush to get as close to the Benson Hill mansion as possible  
"I'll explain it again Kat," Claude said, "I need to get a look and see if I can see Alexander, and if he IS in there, we'll come back later."  
"And why would he NOT be?" Kat shot back.  
"He could be out for a number of reasons, but the main one is Raven." Tripp said.  
"Whatever, can we just hurry this up?!"  
"Down Kat." Claude said, slightly amused.  
Kat rolled her eyes and planted herself right in front of the front of the building, where the attic was and below it, on the other side of the front of the building, a lighted window sat. Movements flickered in front of it, seeming to pace back and forth. Kat just filed her nails, totally and completely bored. Why did she have to do this anyway? It's a COMPLETE waste of time in her opinion. She knew Onyx would come around, she seemed like the type of the girl who could come to her senses easily. But what was up with her? At times she seemed like a firecracker, others, a baby bunny. Kat looked down at her nail which she filed a bit too short. "Damn!" She mumbled. She tried to focus her attention back on the mission, but just couldn't.  
She couldn't because something in the window was annoying her. She picked up a rock and chucked it at the window, hitting it perfectly. The pacing stopped.  
"KAT!" Claude whisper-yelled, then they all ducked down to the ground. The curtain whipped open and in the place of the dark figure stood Onyx.  
"What was that?" Onyx asked, just as a boy older than her appeared at her side. Her hair was put up in a high pony, and most her makeup off. All that was left was her eyeliner. She had also changed into a spray painted Anarchy tank top.  
Who is he? That was the automatic thought that popped into Kat's mind.  
"Does it matter?! It was probably a stupid bat!" He said, completely agitated, "What matters is you left when I asked you not to and you promised me!"  
"Since when do you actually listen to me?!" Onyx whisper-yelled at the mysterious boy with the dark brown hair.  
"Oh please, Onyx, you think everyone in our family is out to get you ever since you were born!" He made no effort to lower his voice.  
"BECAUSE THEY ARE! She tried to KILL me when I was five!"  
"She didn't try to kill you Onyx! If anything YOU tried to kill her! YOU ran out in the sun, YOU were the one who sat on the train tracks! And YOU were the one who made her crawl out into the sun!" His voice held nothing but agitation, like he had recited this a hundred times. Onyx just stood there, an expression on her face that said this was one of the only times the boy had accused her of killing whoever 'She' was.  
Onyx replied in a voice they could barely hear, "She didn't have to lock me in the basement for a week straight." Something on the boys face processed the information, "what?" he said in a hoarse whisper.  
"There. I told you. She bribed me with my freedom to not tell you, but there you go. You know. Maybe that's why I resent her like the monster she is. Derek, before you yell at me like i'm an idiot who can't tell the sun from the moon, maybe you should practice what you preach and get the whole story." Onyx walked away, but not before hurling an empty glass at the wall, right beside Derek's head.  
Derek just stood there as glass shattered around him. Onyx walked away and slammed the door behind her. Derek leaned over the edge of the window and let out a sigh. Claude, Tripp, Kat, and Rocco sat there, like they were at the movies and the best part was on. "What just happened?" Rocco asked.  
"Well," Tripp started, "I've collected that Onyx waltzed outside during the day being the half-vampire she is not being affected by the sun, sat on some train tracks, forced someone who is a full vampire outside to retrieve her, therefore almost killing her. Then she was locked in the basement during this period, and Derek just found this out. And apparently, she is resented by most of her family."  
"We know what it's like to be outcasts among other vampires," Claude started, "But not in our own families."  
"Who's Derek?" Kat demanded, whipping around to face Tripp.  
"Onyx's older brother." He shrugged, like it was very obvious. "Hmm" Kat smirked and turned back to the window. He seemed to be looking right at her. Or through her. She gasped and ducked down, waiting for what seemed like an eternity. She looked back up, and he was gone. She sighed.  
"That was too close." She said, angrily.  
"Don't blame us because you were making kitten eyes at her older brother." Claude said, running his hands through his hair.  
Kat gasped, "Excuse me?!"  
"Shhh!" Claude whispered, looking at the window with the light that snapped on. It was the attic.  
"I will not be quiet! What did you say!?" Rocco put his hand over Kat's mouth.  
The curtain flew open, instead it wasn't Alexander. It was Onyx.  
"Breaking and entering?" Tripp commented.  
From the view of the semi-tall window, Onyx was placing CD's back where they belonged. She was about to walk out, when something caught her eye. She picked up single black rose and a note. She mumbled a few words to herself, and threw it down, then decided to pick it up and place it back where it belonged.  
Before she shut the curtain, she smirked to herself, and said, "The Coffin Club, huh?"  
I picked up the black rose, smelled it, and moved onto the note,  
Dear Alexander,  
I'm hoping that soon you will accompany me in going to the Coffin Club. We can dance, be with our kind, and just be together. I had a fun time the other night in the cemetery. Perhaps after the dance, we can go together and stay.  
Love, your love Raven.  
There's the Raven again. It has to be my Raven. Why didn't she tell me, she didn't even act like she knew him! Does she know that we're living together. Is that why Alexander acts so weird towards me? And The Coffin Club? I came here to get away from secrets and backstabbers, and yet, here's my best friend acting like she has to be hush-hush about the love of her life.  
Well, she might have good reasons, especially since Alexander is a vampire, and she doesn't know I am yet.  
No. I'm not letting this happen again. She either tells me, or things will get ugly. I threw down the rose, looked at it, then placed it back on the table exactly how it was.  
I walked over to the curtain and began to close it. What was in the bushes? Probably a bat.  
Before closing the curtains, I stared at the full moon and said to myself, "The Coffin Club?"


	8. Back In The Halls of Dullsville High

"Have you seen Raven?" Onyx said, clunking up to Trevor at his locker in her Ulti-Goth boots. A Malice in Wonderland oversized tee, black leather skinny jeans, and her millions of chains and necklaces completed the outfit.  
"Raven?" Trevor asked, wrinkling his face, "Who is Raven?"  
"LISTEN, Mitchell!" I said, pinning him to his locker, "I don't have time for your 'cute' little soccer-boy games. I need Raven, and I need her NOW." A few whistles emitted from the gathering group of soccer-snobs directly behind me. I knew a verbal battle was coming, and I did NOT have time for a victory right now.  
"Babe, why don't you just forget Raven and focus on US." He said with mock sincerity.  
"Did you eat paint chips as a child?" I asked.  
"Come on, i'm the most popular guy you'll ever talk to, so lets just skip to the part where you beg for me and I pity you." He smirked and folded his arms as laughter came up again from the soccer group.  
"Wow, Trevor, you have a big ego, too bad the rest of you doesn't match." I looked him up and down. Laughter erupted from the soccer dorks.  
He stood there and I said, "Oh, don't think I don't know what you did to Raven at your party." I said, disgusted.  
"Dont tell me, you're jealous, well i'm feeling generous, it can be your turn." He winked as I spotted Raven from the side of my eye. I turned but not before shouting behind me, "Sure, lets meet in your car, if i'm late start without me, you should be used to that, right Trevor?" Hoots and laughter could be heard on the other side of the school, Trevor was punched in the shoulder and he just stood there staring at me.  
Raven disappeared. Great. i sighed and made my way up to my locker and pressed my black lips together and noticed that Claude and his gang was a few lockers away from mine. My heart skipped a beat as I remembered last night, they're vampires. Real vampires like me, they do exist. Are Kat and Rocco like that too? I believe it. Then I also remembered what Derek said to me after our fight.  
I turned my locker dial without looking at it.  
"Why were you outside my house last night?" I said, looking down at my notebook.  
They all froze and turned to face me, "What?" Claude asked.  
"Derek asked me who the girl with the devil horns hiding in our bushes was. I told him her name was Kat." I smirked, looking up at them with a knowing look.  
Kat seemed to have a glow I've never seen before. She looked at the locker beside her. "You told him my name?" She asked, only slight wary.  
I nodded happily, "He said, from what he could see, you looked beautiful."  
"Really?" She asked, staring into my blue eyes with her green ones.  
"I swear on Anarchy's life." I threw my books into my locker and said, "anyone seen Raven?" I said, distracted.  
"Have you thought any about our little proposition?" Claude grinned, revealing his prominent fangs.  
"I need to talk to Raven." I said, ignoring the question, "I need to ask her about this place called The Coffin Club." I said nonchalantly.  
"I've heard of that place." Kat said, jumping in, "it's supposed to be really Gothic " She said with a slight-girlish tone I have never expected to hear, EVER, on Kat.  
"Have you ever been there?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.  
"No, but I wanted to stop there. He wouldn't let me." She said, gesturing to Claude who was looking around for something.  
"Kat, we don't have time for those things..." he rolled his eyes.  
Kat just ignored him and continued to focus on the locker next to her, I noticed she didn't show up in the cold metal reflection, so she was obviously a vampire too.  
"Well, what if someone there knows where the vials are?" I said, thinking on my feet.  
"Why would anyone there know about the vials?"

"Think about it," I began, "Alexander knows where the vials are buried, obviously. And it's also obvious that he's made enemies along the way. He might have also made some friends. Some friends which he told where the vials are hidden. Who, knows? He may have told some enemies too. Which is all the more easier to get the information out of them." I stood there, satisfied.

Raven swiftly ran past me. "Well, you think it over, I gotta go." I said distracted, and ran to catch up with Raven. "Where are you going?!" I yelled once I caught up with her and she stopped.

"Fight...soccer...Trevor." She panted, hands on her knees.

"WHAT?!" I yelled, pushing past her onto the soccer field.

On the field stood Trevor and Matt, inches away from each other, about ready to fight to the death. Becky was about 7 feet away from Matt, looking like she might puke. Trevor's sleeves were pushed up to his elbows, ready to get his hands dirty. A crowd surrounded them, but knew to keep their distance.

"What is this?" I asked, not really talking to anyone. Becky rushed over to Raven, "they're going to fight!" She shouted in terror.

"Well, obviously, but for what?!" Raven responded.

"Trevor said that Matt turned into a big pansy ever since he dated me, and then Matt said at least he wasn't a dirty player who couldn't keep his hands to himself, and that you," she gestured to Raven, "are right for what you did to him."

Raven stood there looking out at the boys who were getting closer and closer with every passing minuted. "Idiots!" She said in frustration, as she started heading closer to them.

Becky and I watched as Raven marched up to the boys and demanded they stop.

"Go back to your coffin, Freak!" Trevor commented without glancing her way.  
"Trevor! Stop this, I'm serious, he's your best friend it's not worth it! You're being really stupid!" She said, completely agitated.

I noticed a larger group had gathered, Claude's included. He sat there with a satisfied look on his face, like this was the most action this school has got since...ever. It probably was, too.

"I'M stupid?!" He gasped, "YOU'RE the one who's the freak and is dating a freaky vampire!" Raven lost it, she kicked Trevor as hard as she could with her steel toed combat boots. He hopped up and down and then he stopped. And pushed Raven to the ground, "FREAK!"

Next thing I knew, I was on top of Trevor, pinning him with my heavy boots and shouting, "Yeah, how do YOU like it on the ground, huh?! Maybe next time you'll think before opening your fat mouth and pushing a girl to the ground. We may act and dress like freaks, but YOU'RE the monster, Trevor!" He had no other choice but to spit in my face since his hands were under mine, "THAT'S IT!" I yelled, rolling over so he was on top of me, I kicked him off with my spiked boots and threw him to the ground again. I loomed over him, stopping my fist from meeting his nose. I couldn't get kicked out of school on the second week, i'd have to go back to Romania with my family. "Stay. Away. From me and Raven, or next time, it's that pretty little face of yours that's going to get it." I walked away in dead silence. Trevor sat on the ground, in utter disbelief. Raven sat the same with the same look on her face as I helped her up. Then, something new happened. Something in a million years I would have never expected to happen. Cheers came up through the crowd...cheers! I don't know whether it was from just a plain good fight, that the new freak-girl beat Trevor in a physical fight, or that they were all tired of his bull-crap too. I turned around in a complete circle, not knowing why there was so much cheering, but when I looked back, Trevor was gone.

"That was amazing!" Matt cried, Becky at his side.

"Yeah! I didn't know you could do that!" Becky chirped.  
Raven just sat there staring at me, her elbow bleeding from where Trevor had forced her on the ground. She stood there with her mouth open, and her eyes darting across my face, then she threw her arms around me. It had been SO long since anyone, even Derek, had given me a real sincere hug. Not the type of hug you get when people think you need pity, but a real hug with real emotion poured into it. Before I knew it, tears were running down my face. "I have to go to the bathroom." I said hurriedly.

"I'll come too!" Raven said, worried I was hurt.

"No, you stay here and tell the tale of our battle to all of our people." I grinned, then ran off to the bathrooms.

"Ow!" I cried when I hit the ground, immediately feeling the searing pain in my elbow. Trevor Mitchell, who I thought crushed on me like no other, pushed me to the ground. Why would he do that? That was my first thought, well, other than the pain. He has never really looked this mad before. Ever. Not even when I proudly hung his tighty-whities from my locker.  
I glanced down at my elbow which was bleeding considerably. I blew on it, then heard a terrifying smacking sound. I look up, and there is Trevor, on the ground with Onyx threateningly standing over him. All Raven could do was what everyone else could only do, stare. Stare and watch as Onyx held onto Trevor, her nails dig into his wrists, and listen as she shouted something. The look on Trevor's face was, in a sense, priceless. He looked like he was shocked, confused, and enjoying himself all at the same time. He looked like he was pissed that he got beat by a girl. If this were anyone else, Trevor would be in the front row cheering on whoever it was getting beaten up by the Goth-chick. I rolled my eyes because I knew it was true. I watched as Trevor spit directly into Onyx's face and she rolled him over and kicked him in the chest and watched him fall to the ground.

She wiped off her face and got a look on her face that even scared me a little. She yelled something inaudible, because I was looking around for Becky, who had run off probably to get a teacher, knowing her. Instead I locked eyes with Claude, who was enjoying this whole things. He grinned like he was a little boy on Christmas, no doubt enjoying the fact that Onyx can take down a steroidal soccer captain and handle herself. Raven didn't ever want to admit it, but it could be true that Claude liked Onyx, or at least didn't keep her around because she had any benefit to their mission. What good could a 100 pound Gothic girl do to find vampire blood vials? Gothic bait?

Wait, what was that on Onyx's side? Is that a...tattoo?! Of a bat?! I knew she had a tattoo of a spiderweb on her wrist, but I knew nothing about a bat. The only reason I give a second thought to this tattoo is because it looks eerily similar. Wait a second. I grabbed the charm on my neck, and the one that Onyx gave to me. They all matched, not perfectly, but they were all bats with their wings outstretched, the same color and the same feel.

I let go of my necklace when Onyx came over and jolted me up, then cheers erupted all around us, but all I could think of was the tattoo of a bat, on her right hip.

I panted as I came to a halt in the empty hallways. I looked left and right, but there was no one in sight. Good. I thought, as I lifted up my shirt to the belly-button and examined the damage. As Trevor fell to the ground, he cut me along the way. Right above my bat tattoo.

"And the winner of that round goes to Onyx." Claude said in his velvety voice, stepping around the corner.

"You saw that?" I asked, slightly embarrassed for losing it in public.

"Come now, you don't put on a show like that without knowing that everyone's going to see it." He pointed out.

"I didn't WANT a show Claude, it just annoyed me how much Trevor thinks hes 'the man'"

"So you took him down with one punch?"

"I PUNCHED him!?" I screeched.

"You don't even remember?" Claude asked, tilting his head.

"No." I squeaked.

"Yep," he leaned on a locker with a smirk glued to his face, "you marched right up to him, whipped him around, and decked him right on the side of his face. It was pretty entertaining."

"Maybe he'll learn not to mess with the outsiders anymore." I smirked. Claude stared at me for good four minutes, walked up to me and leaned into my ear, "you're bleeding." He whispered. Shivers. Oh, wait. I noticed I was still holding up my shirt, blood running down onto my leather jeans. "Damn!" I yelled, trying to collect as much as I could from running anymore onto my black leather jeans. Then I realized, blood is blood to a vampire, including my own. I glanced up at Claude through my raven bangs, and he was indeed staring at the cut on my pale skin. He flicked his eyes towards mine and said, "nice tattoo." Oh right, the tattoo. He wasn't thinking about drinking my blood, I think. "Thanks." I said, pulling my shirt down, hiding the disgusting ink.

"Onyx." Claude whispered.

"Uh, yeah?"

"Are you going to waste that blood?" He looked at me through blonde bangs.

"WHAT?!"

"Just trying to cheer you up!" He smiled like he was actually being funny.

"You do realize you're not being funny." I said crossly, gripping my black cross necklace.  
Claude just smiled like an idiot, "I was going to ask, why crosses?"  
"W-what?"  
"Why do you only steal cross necklaces from your 'victims'" he gave a slight smile at the word 'victims', like it pleased him.  
I shuddered, "Don't use that word."  
"Fine." He rolled his eyes, "but why do you?"  
I grinned, "you see this Japanese kanji here?" Claude nodded, "well this is from a girl in Japan who thought she could outrun me, the kanji meant luck. Ha. And this Anarchy symbol, is from a lead singer of an underground punk band who thought he get drunk and pull me backstage" I paused for a reaction, I only got a stare that said "go on". "And this," I held up a charm with a bats wings outstretched, "Is my family charm. I was named after it, not the bat obviously but what its made from, real Onyx." I held it dearly in my hand, then a dark look washed over my face, "I hate it."  
"So you steal something from every victim?" He questioned.  
I sighed, "Yes. It's like a little memory," I laughed darkly, "But I only kill people who try to attack me or mess with me."  
"Yeah I saw that guy at the bar try to take you down." Claude said, stretching his arms.  
I actually laughed at that memory, remembering the look on the guys face. He thought he had gotten so lucky finding a 100 pound girl in an alley all alone, when the real fact was, from the minute he laid his hands on me, he was screwed.  
"Here." Tripp said, appearing with a first aid kit in one hand, and a cell phone in the other.  
"Whats this?" I asked, curiously.  
"Claude said you had an accident from that awesome fight, he asked me to bring you something for it." He smirked. I smirked back, "that was a pretty amazing fight, wasn't it?" I asked, brushing my dark hair out of my eyes.  
"YOU!" A voice yelled from down the hall. I turned and caught my breath in my throat. Part of me was frightened, and part of me wanted to laugh. It was Trevor walking down the hall with a bandage wrapped around his head and his stomach.  
"She got you good." Claude whispered to the side of me. I looked at him with wide eyes and willed him to shut up. We didn't need human blood flying around, I knew they wouldn't be able to stand that. And neither would I.  
"Trevor, just...leave." I warned, placing my arms between Claude and Tripp and Trevor.  
"Aha, LEAVE?! You took me to the ground, that was an unfair fight. I never expected you to pounce on me, I couldn't hit a girl...in public." He said gravely.  
Even though I knew I could take Trevor easily again, he did look serious. And he did look like he had a lot of rage in him. "Trevor, i'm sorry. I-I didn't even realize I was on top of you until it was too late. You didn't have to make fun of Raven in the first place. But i'm sorry and you don't have to do anything you're going to regret!" I pleaded. But Trevor didn't care, he just pushed me up against the locker, "uh." I grunted, I wasn't expecting to be pushed again the metal, but then an even worse fear struck me, what if he sees I have no reflection? But I couldn't get out of his grip on my shoulders. I tried to kick him but he moved out of the way. "Uh-uh not this time Babe."  
"Trevor! What is wrong with you?! You didn't even do this to Raven when she humiliated you in front of the whole school!"  
"SHE didn't hit me and make me look like an idiot in front of everyone!"  
"Raven's right," I whispered, "you really are an egotistical jerk." I searched his face.


	9. Revenge is Sweeter Than a Human's Blood

Thats when Trevor snapped. He really wasn't going to give in now. He firmed his grip on me and got even closer.  
"This isn't right, Trevor!" I pleaded again helplessly, "I couldn't help that I snapped at you and i-i'm sorry!"

Trevor just laughed through his nose and pressed closer to me, "What do you mean, 'I couldn't help it'?"

"E-exactly what I said, I have anger issues sometimes and I didn't mean to go off like that!" I tried to wriggle free so that I could get away from anything with a reflection. "Why should I believe you?!" Trevor snorted.

"Because I know you're gonna regret this later." I said, eyebrows raised, telling the complete truth. If Trevor made me mad now, I would come after him as my next target when I was hungry again.

"And hows that?" He asked, knowing he had the upper-hand. I couldn't tell him I was a vampire, Raven didn't even know. And I couldn't tell him if he didn't let me go, I was going to eat him, he'd just laugh and say, "whatever freak-girl!"

"Because," I said, looking around for inspiration, "If you don't, bad bad things will happen to you and I can't tell you what they are, but I guarantee they WILL happen." I could feel myself snapping little by little, I was becoming the monster Trevor accused me of being.

"Are you some sort of voodoo witch?" He laughed darkly, but I can tell behind his blue eyes, he knew I was right. Things in this town were changing, evil things happened now. "I'm done with this." He didn't hit me, he didn't kick me, he didn't even slap me, but he threw me right onto the ground like I did him, but harder, much much harder, I cut my lip on one of my cross charms and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.

"What do YOU want?! You're just a freak along with the rest!" I heard Trevor ask, then heard a sharp sound of someone hitting the lockers. It was Trevor. "It really pisses me off when people mess with other people that aren't their own size. Especially when it's just because they're different. Or in this case, because a girl kicked your ass." Claude laughed darkly, and ran his hands through his hair.

"You really think that was a good idea, Claude?" Trevor said gravely, picking himself up. I didn't even know Trevor knew our real names.

I placed my hand slowly on my mouth, then licked my lips, blood. A human made me bleed. I smiled.

I had transformed into the other half of me. The half that I love and despise. The half of me that hurts and hunts without second thought, this side of me was even more fearless and confident than when I have human blood inside me, this side comes out only when I get mad.

My evil side. My vampire side.

"Boys, boys, boys please!" I said slowly, getting up from the ground where I fell, "I want to play with the soccer player, too." I said raspily, knowing with every smart-Alec glance from Trevor was fueling the fire in my un-beating heart.

"Onyx...are you alright?" Tripp asked, taking in the difference in my look. My guess is I probably look more vengeful, mature, and ready to kill at any moment. Like I actually was an evil vampire...  
I was. In a sense.

"Its alright," I whispered, smirking slowly, remembering my bleeding mouth, "I like the taste of blood."

Claude and Tripp froze at my words.  
"You know Trev, I always wanted a Ken doll." I said casually, putting on my fallen rings I lost when Trevor pushed me, "But my mom would never let me have one. She said it put a fake image of men into my mind... I guess she was wrong."  
Trevor just stood there, confused. He didn't know how I could go from beating him down physically to beating him down mentally.  
"Oh, come on Trevor, you know you're the perfect female fantasy. Is the real reason that you are trying to beat me up is that i'm 'different' or ...possibly because you want me and you. Can't. Have. Me. And that just kills you, doesn't it?"  
Trevor froze.

Before he knew it I was up in his face, his body up against the locker just like mine was only minutes ago, only this time I had no intention of letting go.

"Onyx?" Trevor let out between bewildered gasps.

"Yesss?" I tilted my head to the right.

"Onyx let him go, is he really worth it?" Claude said, a bit worried that I would give away our secrets.

"No. Not right now, but if he keeps pissing me off, he will be." I said in a monotone, pressing my face so close to his that our noses almost touched, "watch it, Babe. Or my mouth won't be the only thing bleeding around here for long." I released my grip from the locker behind him and walked away slowly. If I turned around and saw him, I might not be able to control myself anymore. "When I turn around I want you gone." I counted with my long black fingernails, "1! 2... 3!"  
He was gone.

Silence instantly filled the halls. A few kids milled around finding their way to soccer practice, or whatever boring children do in this boring town. I stared at Claude, then Tripp, then back again. "What?" I snapped, licking off the remaining blood from my mouth.

"That wasn't...I mean, that wasn't like you." Tripp said, actually at a loss for words for once in his life.

"And?!" I turned and pushed out the door of Dullsville high, not being able to take the stale smell of the hallways.

"We want to know why you acted like a-"

"-Real vampire? A bloodthirsty creature of the night? Completely and utterly irresistible, like in the modern vampire movies?" I raised my eyes brows. "If you want to know, i'll tell you later, but for now, I need to go out...for a special occasion." I turned slightly to face the road that led to town, then I sauntered up to the limo that held Jamison, hopped in, and left.

It's eleven at night, and I'm still on a spree of evilness, sure lets call it that. I suppose, it isn't evil, but its the side of me that doesn't think before I speak, doesn't think of the consequences, she only does what she wants so she can get what she wants.  
I hopped one steel clad foot onto the iron gates surrounding the cemetery, and threw the other over the fence, minding the spikes sticking out of the top. I landed, knees bent, with a soft thud. I brushed myself off and looked around, taking in the dark. I made my way over to the usual spot where I had met Tripp and Claude last night. It didn't feel like it was one night ago, so much has happened. I casually perched on top of a gray tombstone that's chipping away. The coffins had been opened, so they were most likely going out for some lovely squirrel, or something of that nature.

I loomed around the four graves, dancing carelessly, singing, "where are you? Where are you? I'm getting seriously bored now!" It was very catchy.

I plopped down on the dead grass beside Kat's coffin and started reading The Works of Edgar Allen Poe , and thats when I heard a noise. It wasn't Claude, it wasn't Kat, it was Raven.

RAVEN! The thought popped into my head, I NEEDED TO TALK TO HER!

I leaped up to bound over to her to talk about a certain someone, when I heard another, manlier voice.

"Should we be out here with my cousin on the loose?"

Alexander.

"I don't think it matters much! You can take him any day!" I rolled my eyes. They continued to talk endlessly about love, school, and vampires. Then my lips curled into a smile when I got a devious idea! I would jump out and surprise them! I took position, ready to leap, when I heard my name.

"What?" Raven repeated.

"I asked what happened with Onyx at school today. She got a call from the office at school, Jamison said she was in some sort of trouble." He had an accusing tone.

"She... got into a fight."

"A fight?!"

"Protecting me!" Raven pleaded.

"A fight is still a figh- wait, you? What happened?"

"Trevor pushed me down, so Onyx stopped him from doing God knows what!"

There was a long silence, I was getting worried I had been heard, but I was more angry that Alexander had the nerve to make assumptions about me! He had met me once, and it was over music!

"Has she ever been... weird around you?" Alexander said slowly.

"Well, like what?"

"Her attitude?"

"She has been known to be a little...I don't want to say annoying, but a bit annoying. She tends to keep secrets from me and she seems a little reckless at times, like today."

Silence.

"Do you think you should be hanging out with her, Raven?"

"What? Why can't I!?"

"She isn't... good for you."

"Wha-"

"-She isn't evil per se, but she is reckless, and can get pushed over the edge sometimes, and when she does she loses her head."

"You make it sound like she's a vampire!" Raven chuckled nervously.

"Of course not! But she- she's bad, Raven. Her aunt Arabella told me so."

I couldn't sit still, the voice in my head was telling me to attack, but another part of me, the real me, was telling me that murder isn't the way to go. Especially with Raven. Sometimes revenge is. I sat back on my hands and tried to calm myself down, I heard them leaving.

"Well, i'll talk to her myself, Alexander. How do you know her Aunt?"

"Old friends of my parents." He said a little too quickly.

"Alright. You're probably right...I-I'm going to talk to her." She said, and they left.

As soon as I heard Raven's metal feet clunk away into the night, I leaped up and had at it.

I paced around the graveyard, ripping up anything that dared stand in my way. Then it hit me, I smirked.

Because, that's exactly it.

Revenge.

It's 11:30, i'm still at the cemetery, I've calmed down, but I'm still pissed. Raven and Alexander just left, and I heard a rustle behind me in the trees. I heard a dark laugh.

I rolled my eyes to the night sky, and picked up a shard of metal left here by vandalizing kids. "Come on, i've been waiting to kill something all night." I said, raising my weapon. Then a flash from the trees appeared and the next thing I knew, my hand was being held with another.

"Well, well, you're mighty fast, aren't you?" Claude smirked. I sighed a small sigh, and dropped the sharp metal to the ground. "And you're still stalking me, aren't you?" I replied, matching his tone.

"This is MY place of business!" He said, releasing my hand, "And don't you read the classics? Only a wooden stake can kill a vampire!"

"Yeah well,"

"I heard," He interrupted, "that was harsh."

"W-what?"

"Raven and Alexander, do they even know you?" He flipped his hair.

My blood boiled at the sound of Alexander's name, the name alone brought me to want to break things. "That's what I want to talk about." I said.

"Hmmm?" He kept the smirk on his face, but raised his eyebrows.

"Revenge." I said with force, and a look flashed across Claude's face. He ran his hands through his hair.

"Revenge, my bird?"

"Yes. Alexander needs to know his own place in this world. And it's not judging people he doesn't know."

"But was he really lying when he said you were evil." Claude asked, oddly changing the subject, quickly.

"What?!" I gasped, "What did you say?" I was too annoyed to notice the subject change before it was too late.

"I said, aren't you evil, though? Or is this 'persona' all an act?"

"Listen. What I tell you, you don't tell anyone else, or i'll make sure you regret it." My head spun, I leaned on a grave.  
"Oh no." I whispered, automatically noticing the symptoms.

"What? What is it?" Claude asked, a bit concerned.

"I'm weak again. I- I need...blood." My evil persona was fading bit by bit and I was getting back to my old shy-weaker-side again.

"I-I have to go!" I said and ran for the hills.

"Wait! Onyx! When will you tell me?" Claude actually sounded like he was pleading.

"Soon!" I yelled back, heading for the bar alley, "After I feel back to my old self again!"


	10. The Dance of the Century!

It's homeroom, the next day after my freak encounter with Raven and Alexander in the graveyard. I sighed as I pulled up my torn leather stockings up past my knees and tapped my foot again the seat in front of me.  
cling. cling. cling.  
I stopped when I saw Raven walk past the door, laughing with Becky. She has no idea in the world that I heard her last night, talking about me. Another thought popped into my head, revenge. I pushed it aside. After I had run from the graveyard last night and calmed down in my room, I pushed the thought of seeking revenge on Raven from my mind. After all, she is my friend, and she was probably agreeing with Alexander because he's her boyfriend.  
But she never told you she was dating him, did she?  
I stopped tapping my foot when I thought of that. She never did, even when I asked her what she knew about him. But...I suppose in all fairness, I never told her I was living with him either. I still haven't, actually. I'm so confused, how did this whole mess even happen!? If I had just focused on what I'm here for, and not made any friends...  
cling. cling. cling.  
I looked down at the picture I was drawing, and frustratingly ripped it out and tossed it in the trash can without looking up. I glanced to the left of me and noticed that Trevor's seat was empty. I smirked to myself, good.  
The four half-vampires walked in right as the bell rang and took their usual seats. Claude didn't say a word to me, he just smiled slightly and glanced down at my new necklace, a small black heart. I gripped it and began sketching a picture of a girl holding a black rose. I tried to do anything to keep my curiosity from looking over at the others. I needed to just stay out of everyone's way, and do what I need to do. I flicked my pen too hard and it tumbled to the ground, before I knew it Claude was by my side, holding the pen.  
"Thanks." I mumbled.  
"Anytime, my pet." He tried to hide a smirk.  
I snatched the pen, and got as close to his face as I possibly could so he would understand me, "Listen. I'm not your pet, i'm not ones pet, i'm here for a reason, and I intend to get what I want, like always."  
"As do I." He smiled and eyed me.  
Damn, he knows what he does to me! He manipulates people SO EASILY! It's not fair! I breathed deeply, and told him he could kindly go take his seat.  
Kat turned towards me, she looked like she was holding in something she really needed to say, "Onyx-"  
"Alright class!" The homeroom teacher began, "As you know, I couldn't care less, but I'm obligated to tell you this. The dance is this Friday-"  
"When were they gonna tell us?!" A bottle-blonde student shouted from across the room.  
"There have been flyers around in the hallways on the notification boards for two weeks."  
"Who reads those?"  
"...It's also been on the announcements-"  
"Who listens to those!?" a girl cried.  
"LISTEN! There will not a dance until further notice, there has not been a decided theme. Everyone on the student council has veto'd every single one, claiming they aren't original or they 'suck'. So...no dance until further notice! There!" She fell back into her seat, acting like she had just given the speech of the century.  
Groans everywhere, even down the hallway. Obviously, the teachers had given the news all over the school. Everyone seemed to be whining and complaining, not giving any thought except complaining. I glanced around the room, noticing the shock about a dance that theses people didn't even know existed a few minutes ago! Their voices were rapidly increasing, it was getting very annoying.  
"What about vampires?" A black fingernail-ed hand swiftly raised into the air. Everything instantly got quiet. Oh. It was me who said that... Everyone froze, they seemed to be waiting.  
Complete and utter silence.  
"Vampires?" The blonde squinted, her hand hovering over her desk.  
"Think about it." I flipped my raven hair and stood up, "Vampires are all over today, from Twilight, to rumors in our very own town. What better way to celebrate the un-dead then having a dance in their honor. We can even have a best dressed and we can all dress up Victorian-era." I said it as if it was all really quite simple.  
Everyone got quiet. Suddenly I heard a voice cry, "that's perfect! It's exactly what this BORING town needs!" It was the blonde girl, "I'm telling everyone else!" She swiftly left.  
As everyone chattered excitedly, and argued about what store to but their fake vampire teeth from, I ran my tongue over my genuine fangs. "Being this clever is so exhausting." I breathed quietly.

"A-a VAMPIRE dance!?" I shouted as a preppy blonde president-of-the-student-council bounded into our room and announced we were having a vampire-themed dance.  
"That's right!" She said annoyingly, as everyone shouted cheers.  
"Wh-why vampires?!" I tried to shout over the noise.  
"I'm not sure! But it was the new goth chicks idea! And it's brilliant!" She smiled and left the room.  
"It was Onyx's idea?!" A voice shouted from across the room.  
"HOT AND CLEVER!" Someone else shouted, "PERFECT!" I rolled my eyes at that totally predictable comment. Becky turned to me and said, "a vampire dance, Raven! And its in two days! W-why do you look so unhappy?!" She was genuinely confused because otherwise I would have been flipping out. But I didn't want people to find out about Alexander's secret, not even Onyx.  
"I-I am happy! Just a little...distracted, I guess." I looked out the window, and then bolted out the classroom door. I passed the biology room door. Sick! Formaldehyde and blood. I grabbed my stomach and made a 180 turn and came face to face with Claude.  
"What are you doing out here!?" I shouted from shock, and grabbed onto the water fountain.  
"I couldn't resist the smell." He said with glowing eyes.  
"Formaldehyde?" I joked nervously, I had hoped Claude would leave me alone, but he won't until he gets the vials he wants. Which at this rate could be very soon, or ten years. So much was going on, even I didn't know what to do with myself.  
"Oh Raven, you're so cute sometimes." He grabbed my hair which made me wince, and pushed me up again the lockers, I could see a mad, thirsty looking in his eyes.  
"Claude, stop!"  
"What're you going to do, Rave, call Alexander on me? He can't even leave the house right now. You're all mine during the daytime." The thought flashed into my head, he was right. If I was dying in the sunlight, sure Alexander could help me, but then he would die. I was totally helpless during the daytime.  
Suddenly, I just lost it. The rage for Claude and his annoying attitude. So what is he was mega-hot, and half of what I want to be?! That's not excuse at all!  
"Even if that is true, you still won't do anything to me! Not in public!" I yelled in his face, he just stared. Then his mouth slowly broke out into a smirk, then a grin, until he opened his mouth to reveal to fangs.  
"Wanna bet?" He purred, and inched closer to my face. I widened my eyes when I realized he wasn't kidding. He was seriously inching towards me neck, I tried to push him off. I had no idea if I would be transformed by a half vampire or not, but I did not want to find out! I pushed with all my might, but he was too strong. I could feel his fangs reach my skin, and he was still moving in. I gave up and tried to cover my neck, realizing this would at least hurt a lot.  
Suddenly all I heard was the crash of metal and a weight lifted off of me.  
"What the hell do you call that, Claude?" Said a calm voice. I opened my eyes, fearing the worst. It was...  
Onyx.  
Wait, ONYX?!  
"What the hell, Onyx?!" Claude yelled, rubbing his arm where he was pushed into the lockers, his mouth dripping with blood. I swatted my hand to my neck, it was his own from biting his lip. I sighed.  
"What were you just about to do?!" Onyx threatened, looking perfect with her leather ripped leggings, boots, and her leather mini-dress which I would never wear to school, but she pulled it off perfectly.  
"Wait!" I interrupted, "What do you THINK he was going to do?" Did she know about the vampires in our town?!  
Her eyes flicked to me then to Claude, "well..."

"...Whatever he was about to do did not look like you wanted him to." I locked eyes with Claude and parted my lips. I batted my lashes, felt a leap in my stomach, and returned my gaze to Onyx.  
"It was nothing, my pet. I just was telling Raven that if she didn't help me with my little project, things would get ugly."  
"Rave," I said looking at Raven, "Just...leave. I can see this smell is getting you super-sick." She stood up, looked like she wanted to say something important, but took one look at Claude, and walked the opposite direction.  
"What was that about?" Claude whispered to me infuriated, "I thought she pissed you off the other night!"  
"She did..." I whispered to him as I passed him, "But I'm the only one you're biting around here."  
Claude didn't process what I said, but when he did he spun around to face me, he looked at me wide-eyed, "so is that you're permission?" He purred quietly.  
"Of course, not like it would hurt me." I said sarcastically, like the whole thing was a joke.  
But was it a joke?  
No. No, it was not.  
For the rest of the day, all I could think about was that Claude was going to bite Raven. He really was, if I hadn't stepped in...who knows what would have happened to her! But... did I step in for her benefit, or was it because I was jealous? I widened my eyes and pushed that thought far from my mind. I don't love Claude, i'm here for myself and myself only. Besides, I know who i'm facing when I get home and that I have to see him face to face and- NO. Push that even farther from your mind... never again.  
Naturally, Claude, Tripp, Kat, and Rocco left to go get a bite to eat... in midday. So they either skipped town or took it to the woods. I shivered at the thought of them chowing down on a deer and then a hunter stumbles upon them and then...well, yeah. But i'm not one to talk, who knows what my evil side has done to the families of my 'victims'. Why do I do this to myself? This isn't me fault!

As soon as I walked through my front door to the mansion, I rushed up to my brothers windowless, dark bedroom. Back in Romania, he used to sleep in a coffin, here he said he would much rather prefer something more modern. I always slept in a bed, even in Romania, because I didn't want to feel anymore like a vampire then I already had to.

I peeked through the smallest crack in the door. He was back from last night and completely safe. I sighed and began to shut the door.

"Onyx?" He grumbled, he hated being woken up.

"Y-yeah?" I stumbled nervously over my words.

"Did you see Kat today, by any chance?"

"What? I mean, yeah of course." Where was this going?

"Does she ever...go out at night? Do you know where hangs out?"

"Y-yeah, she hangs out by the cemetery all the time."

"Well, i'm going to go see her tonight." Then he rolled over and went back to sleep, "And will you please shut the door. The light is blinding me."

I squealed in my head and shut the door that was only open the tiniest bit.

I ran down the mansion stairs, past Jamison who was watering the already dead plants, and bound out the front door and into the woods, where I knew Kat would be. I trudged through mud, got stuck by thorns, and pushed through leaves. I looked all over for them, but the only trace of them I found were a half-drunken deer. I could smell Kat's sickly-sweet perfume. I heard a noise from behind me, it came from behind a row of hedges. I dried off my hands on my pants and pushed through the foliage, and was tackled to the ground.

I thrashed and tried to grip the hands that were at my neck. "This isn't very nice." I giggled. Then the thrashing stopped and Kat looked at me like I was insane.

"What're you DOING!?" She cried, "I almost sliced your neck open!"

"What did you find?" A voice sounding like Rocco asked, and soon the other three made their way over to us, with me still on the ground with dirt seeping into my dress, and Kat looming over me, about to kill me.

"Well, well, well, what did I miss here?" Claude asked, amused by the look of things.

"Kat," Tripp scolded, "We leave for one minute and come back to you trying to kill our little friend! Tsk, tsk!"

Kat rolled her eyes then off of me and sat on dead grass, "Seriously though, Onyx, what are you doing out here?" She seemed a little relived to see I wasn't mugged by Trevor's lackeys on the way home. Kat can be a compassionate human being when she wants to be.

"I have major news, Kat! Huge!"

"Oh, it's girl gossip." Claude rolled his eyes, and searched through a tree's leaves. How did he know?

"W-what?" She asked slowly, like she had never been told any gossip before. Had she ever?

"My brother, Derek, the kid who lives with me..." I was dragging it on for as long as possible.

"What! SPIT IT OUT!" She shook me.

"He wants to meet you tonight at the cemetery!" I smiled with pride.

"Wh-what? Why?"

"No clue, but you better be there! Or I'll be forced to take immediate action." I teased, loving the secret glow on Kat's face. She tried to hide it from Claude and the other guys, they always see her as tough but around me she acts like a...girl.

"Look, she's not here to make love-y eyes..." Claud started.

"I can do whatever I want to while i'm here, thank you." Kat smirked, interrupting Claude, who just looked back at me then at Kat.

"Listen," I began, "Sometimes love just happens, and when it does, you just don't mess with it." I reached into a shrub that I appeared from and pulled out a perfectly-good squirrel without thinking, "Oh, and here's the...thing you've been searching for this whole time." I tossed it to Claude, who caught it.

"How did-?"  
"My family are natural hunters." I smirked, "Oh, and Kat? Wear somethin' pretty." I winked and hopped out of the woods.

"A-a vampire dance?" Alexander stuttered, reaching for him drink.

"Uh-huh!" I mumbled excitedly, "It was Onyx's idea, and we all get to dress Victorian-era!"

"Onyx thought of this?" He said, darkly.

"Yep! All her idea! I personally love it!" I couldn't stop blabbering, I'm always up for an excuse to wear fake vampire teeth.

"I love it too, but, is it...safe?"

"Safe as in, is Claude going to be there?" I asked, laughing darkly, "He might...but he wouldn't do anything in public."

"And, what about..."

"Jagger? Well, he probably won't be messing with us for a while."

Alexander smiled a little and then moved his chair closer to mine, "Rave, you're probably righ- what- what is that?" He pointed to my neck, where two little purple grooves remained. I clapped my hand over my neck, thats where Claude tried to bite me today, and he really was going to. I'd been trying to keep this a secret from Alexander, but of course I couldn't, he knows everything.

"I-it's nothing!" I stuttered.

"Raven. You tell me who did this to you. Now." He wasn't smiling anymore.

"No! It doesn't matter, Onyx helped me and now its all okay."

"Raven! What happened?!" He yelled.

"Okay," I sighed, "Claude was hungry, I could tell by his eyes and the smell of dissection blood from the biology room called him, then he came out and saw me and I...went off on him."

"Raven!" Alexander said.

"Just listen!" I said sternly, "Then he pushed me up against lockers and he told me how you couldn't protect me in daylight and thats when I got mad and then he threatened to bite me and then he started to and he really was until Onyx stepped in. But she doesn't know he was a vampire, she just thought he was coming on to me." I panted when I was done. Alexander just sat there for a minute. Then he got up and threw his glass at the wall. I flinched.

"Who does he think he is, bringing you into this?!" He boomed, I just sat there. I had never seen Alexander this worked up before.

"He thinks just because we're related he can have anything thats mine! Well, he can't!" I ran over to Alexander to try to calm him down, but he was seriously mad. I heard the front door slam. It wasn't Alexander.

After Derek and I went out the front door, I sang, "You love Kat! You love Kat!"

He ran his hands through his dark hair and smiled, "I do not. I just think she's beautiful." He playfully pushed me.

"Whatever!" I said and flicked his nose. This reminded me of a better time when things weren't so difficult and I could just mess with my siblings like it was nothing.

I scaled the iron gate and turned around to tell Derek to do the same thing, but he was already over.

"Well...okay, then." I grabbed his hand and led him to the area where I told Kat to meet us. I peeked over the hedges to make sure that Kat was alone. She was, sitting on an old grave, wearing a leather mini-dress she borrowed, and filing her nails.  
Perfect.  
I pushed through, then pulled Derek through too. Kat's head shot up, and she looked prettier than usual. If thats possible. Her eyes held black eye shadow, and her lips were the color of fresh roses. I even let her borrow my signature boots, my feet were bare, except for my black legwarmers. She smiled and said, "Why, hello there, Derek." Derek just blinked back in surprise and said, "Hello yourself." I smiled and said, "You two kids have fun now, ya here!" I leaped back over the fence and headed into town.  
I've lived here almost two weeks and I still haven't explored most of the town. Just the bar, and the bar alley. I passed groups of giggling high schooler, sporting black lipstick. I cringed at the thought of prepsters wearking black once a week and calling themselves goths. Gross. I walked through the town, and found a few restaurants, a couple clothing stores, and some random venues. I came to an old-style drive in and in crumples black letters on the billboard it read Kissing Coffins. Oh! That must be why so many kids are dressed like vampires, it was a vampire movie! So many vampire things in this town to do!  
A couple pushed past me wearing all black, "Nice outfit!" They gushed, being sincere. I smiled a fanged smile in appreciation, not caring who saw. I squinted and looked directly ahead of me, Raven and Alexander. Raven was dressed up looking like Marilyn Monroe, which made me cringe, and Alexander was dressed to the nines. I hope she didn't see me leave with Derek. Raven looked over at me and she froze. I froze. She looked, nervous. Alexander saw me, and pulled me away, which made me snap inside.  
"If he knows whats good for him, he'll leave me out of this." I mumbled to myself, and swiveled around. I bumped into a kid with shocking white hair.  
"Sorry." I mumbled and scurried off, feeling myself snapping.  
"No problem." I heard in a wicked voice. I turned back, and he was gone. I shuddered and kept moving, I had never liked Kissing Coffins, and I especially didn't like watching sixteen-year-old's try to dress Gothic. It sickened me. I trudged down the dark street, kicking things with my bare feet and stared at my black pedicured toenails. I wondered how their little talk was going, but decided not to snoop on them. I stopped in front of an old clothing store, and decided to go it. Until I noticed it said No shirts, no shoes, no service. I sighed, "I really need some new shoes." The only reason I don't have anymore is because I treasured the one's I have and never thought I would ever lend them out to anyone else in my life.

I turned around and stared up at the Drive-In screen I could see from the road, and I could see two figures running towards the entrance. One looked like the white-haired kid, whom I couldn't see at all from here, and Alexander. I felt heart-broken that I wasn't invited, even though Raven probably didn't have any say in it, if Alexander had anything to do with it. I skipped in the left over rain puddles and danced, which I would have never gotten to do in Romania. I splashed everything I could and laughed. Then I started crying. Crying because I had to go back someday. All these days of being in America, trying to deny that I would ever leave, but I had to. I had to. Or else...I would ruin a lot of lives, well the ones I haven't already ruined. I looked down and realized I had pulled a side-view mirror off of a car, without notice. I do that a lot, break things without warning.  
I bit my lip and gently put it on the hood and scooted away. I noticed a neon light in the distance, the bar. "Well, I could...no!" I said, stopping the evil thought from entering my mind. "I'll just go check out the scene." I sighed, and made my way towards the entrance. I peeked in the windows, wondering what it actually looked like in there.

Nothing was special about the bar, except the huge pool table that made up most of the room. A pink neon bar sat to the right, with colorful glasses and alcohol bottles lined up on shelves. The bathrooms were directly to the back and chipped and broken tales were everywhere. It was very 80's. I locked eyes with a middle-aged man. He wasn't creepy, or even scary, he looked like the type of person who would star in a Lifetime movie about a husband who had been cheating and stealing money and putting it into a private bank account offshore, and telling his wife he was just working late and his name would be something like Allen or Mark. Then he would disappear just like that. I could easily tell he was drunk, and he was chatting up a woman only in her 20's, at the most. She looked like she belonged in the alley of the bar, not me. He continued to talk with a smirk on his lips to the girl, put kept his eyes on me. I shivered, at the thought of him even coming near me. He was even more scary then the creeps I deal with because with them, you could tell who was creepy and who wasn't.

I slowly backed away as the man got up, without taking his eyes off me, over to the pool table. He picked up a cue and started playing with his friends. I spun around and went over to the alley, and sat on a dumpster.  
Is his body still in that very dumpster?  
I thought, then jumped off as quickly as I could. I doubled over in heaves and tried not to think about it.

"Need a hand?" Said a gravelly voice. I looked up, it was Mark. He had coincidentally made his was from the pool table out to the alley that quickly.

"No thanks." I said, wearily.

"Want one?" He said, holding up a case of cigarettes.

"No, thank you." I turned him down, repulsed. He just shrugged. Cigarettes won't even affect me, but the thought of putting rat poison and other things into my body made me sick. Derek smokes socially, though. He knows I hate it, but he doesn't care.

"Whats a thing like you doing out here all alone?" He asked, looking onto the streets, which were eerily empty.

"Waiting...for my dad." I said, thinking quickly. He smiled as he drug the cigarette from his lips. "Ah." He said simply. I stepped out of the alley, "I think he's down here, so..." He pulled me back in, "But we were just getting to know each other." He said, I could smell the alcohol smell all over him.

"Look, I have to go, now!"

"I can't let you," He started, "See, I have this problem. I have a thing for younger girls, my doctor says its a problem, I just think it's for the fun of it. You know, like a game."

"W-why are you telling me any of this?!" I cried, knowing I would snap any second, this wasn't safe for him. But something about him seemed dangerous, even to me.

"I did-didn't even get to finish!" He said, slurring, "I'm also...a legal psychopath." He laughed, whispering the words to me. He thought it was hilarious to pick up a girl in the alley at night, how many other girls had he hurt, was he even from here or did he belong somewhere else? Like in jail?

"Listen, just leave me alone and nothing will happen!"

"Exactly. That's the point." He paused, "Come here!" He snapped, pulling me down behind a dumpster and tried putting some type of pill into my mouth.

So, by now I had snapped and pretty much realized that he would die tonight. I spit out the white pills from my mouth and threw him off of me, almost smashing him into the brick wall.

"What was that?!" He asked, stunned that I could do that, or even toss him.

"I told you to leave me alone, but no! You couldn't, could you?! People like you absolutely sicken me to death." I yelled. He either thought he was dreaming or that I got a lucky shot in because he was back on me before I knew it, "What is wrong with you?!" I commanded.

"I always get what I want." He smiled, the very same words I had heard months before sending chills down my spine.

"You'll never have me." I whispered.

This time when I through him, he landed against the wall with a sickening crack. He fell silently at the bottom, like a rag doll. Blood was spilling from his mouth and I stared at him. I could smell the aroma, and feel the urge to do what I do best. I sprang over to him, and made sure no view from the road was possible. I lowered my head down, this time feeling no sympathy for my victim, and plunged my fangs right into his neck. After only a minute, I heard a banging noise right in front of me. I snapped my head up, blood running down my lips, and stared.  
Oh my goodness...

Claude.

Claude made his way to the bar alley, seeing Onyx run into it. After a while, a 40 year old guy walked right after him, carrying a cigarette carton and a tiny orange pill bottle. Claude crouched beside some trash cans at the entering of the alley. He looked on as Onyx chatted nervously with the old man, who had a creepy feel to him. His eyes were cold and he looked as if he held no sympathy. Claude pushed his hair out of his eyes and then he stopped. Next thing he knew, the old man was on Onyx, force feeding her pills. She could take him so easily, but not if she slipped into unconsciousness before that. Then, he saw it happen. Onyx's eye turned a deep blue, her face turned into a permanent smirk. She had snapped and Claude had witnessed it happen. He smiled as Onyx stood up, barefoot, and threw the man into a wall, where he got back up and presumed to attack her!

"Is he stupid or something?!" Claude whispered to himself, knowing Onyx would snap him like a twig even though he known her only for a few weeks.

Then Onyx threw him again, this time he didn't move at all. Claude heard the crack, the familiar sound of a man falling to his death. She stared longingly at the blood, like a real vampire. Claude looked as Onyx quietly crept up to the man, and kneeled beside him, she whispered something into his ear and plunged her fangs into his neck. The man didn't move at all. Claude stood up and went up to Onyx, he couldn't believe this was the same Onyx, so vulgar, so evil, so...hot. I mean, she really looked like a bad-ass vampire!

Claude shook the thought from his head, no. He could never fall for anyone again, never. Especially not a random goth vampire chick he met a few weeks ago, she'd break his heart for sure. In no time. He felt so lame being reduced to a normal teenager who worried about getting his heart broken, because he was far from that kind of kid. But in the back of Claude's mind, he knew Onyx was different, but it would take him a long time to accept that fact, as stubborn as Claude is.

Claude glanced over at Onyx, and she was looking right at him. Her eyes weren't deep blue, not even icy blue, but fiery red. And her hair was breezing around her face. Blood was falling from her mouth, dripping onto the neck of her victim and herself. She really did look like a real vampire. Not the clean, misunderstood kind you find in bestselling teen romance novels, but the original blood-sucking no-mercy kind. And Claude preferred that kind any day. She slowly realized what was happening, but she didn't run away. She slowly squinted her eyes and said in a silky voice, "Claude?"

Claude didn't know what to say, what was he supposed to say? He had just caught a sarcastic goth chick chewing on a human, who had just tried to kidnap her! Claude started smiling and said, "Are you full now?" She just sighed, laughed and stood up, "His blood was bitter, no doubt from him being such a creep. Apparently, he steals girls and does God knows what with them" She rolled her eyes and kicked the man on the ground, rolling him over. The look of shock was forever etched on his face. She giggled and eyed Claude, "What? You aren't scared of me now are you?" She teased.

"Not really afraid, I like this side of you." He eyed her back.

"Well, that makes one of us. You can help yourself, I'm done." She lazily gestured to the body laying beside a dumpster.

"I don't partake from humans very much." Claude said, surprisingly.

"You? I thought you would be all over humans!" Onyx said, her eyes slowly dimming back to a deep blue.

"Well, I find that a lot of humans aren't worthy of me biting them. Especially ones I meet outside a bar." He grinned.

"Oh, yeah well what kind of human do you drink then, huh? Whats your...'poison'?" She rolled her eyes again.

"Mostly just people that piss me off or that I know that I don't like, or people of high status, you know." He said.

"What about me, eh? What if I were human?" She laughed at her own ridiculous question.

Claude walked up to Onyx until she was against the dingy brick wall. Claude was blocking her view from everywhere but himself, and he leaned into her, "You would be the first person I would ever sink my teeth into, Onyx." He wasn't smiling or even smirking, he was being serious. She searched his blue eyes for even a glimmer or humor, but he really wasn't kidding.

"What?" She said quietly, leaning into him. Suddenly, Claude pulled away from her, Onyx almost falling over. "Hey! What was all that about?!" She yelled accusingly.

"What?" He smiled, "You think you can mess with my head and then you think I don't get a turn?!" He reached down to the mans middle finger and pulled off a silver ring, "Here. To commemorate our time together." He took Onyx's hand, sending the same wave of nerves all over her, even in her evil transformation, and slipped the ring on her middle finger. Onyx was still shaken up about the events that happened moments before.

"It doesn't fit on my thumb even, you keep it, you need something too." She slipped the ring onto Claude's middle finger.

"What will you have?" Onyx reached into the mans wallet and pulled out a few hundred dollars. "Well, it looks like I'm getting some new shoes!" Then she pulled out an ID card of a man in his 20's "This isn't even him!" She shrieked with disgust.

Then she pulled out two earrings from either ear on the man, "One mans fleeting youth, is another woman's new diamond earrings!" She slipped off her black bat earrings and on her new diamond studs. "We look fabulous" She grinned.

Claude helped Onyx move the discarded figure into the dumpster, it was all so horror movie-esque, but Onyx just felt like it was familiar life as usual. "Oh, by the way, where are Tripp and Rocco?" I asked, as we made our way down the street.

"They went out to go see Kissing Coffins"

"No way! They're Coffin fans?!" I laughed in shock.

"They say that they were just going to check if the theater was really built on an ancient Indian burial ground, to find the blood vials, but I know they're secretly fans." He laughed. Had he actually laughed a genuine laugh since he was here?

"Are YOU a secret Coffin fan, eh Claude?" I glanced side-ways at him.

"Hell yeah! Who isn't?" He said with mock enthusiasm.

"Me! I hate that movie so much! It makes no sense! If there was a mob chasing you 'cuz of some ancient vampire's fault, that isn't fair. And vampires should know the difference between real blood and the smell of the fake cheap blood you make yourself, you know, when he pretends to bite her. It just isn't believable!"

"Wow, I didn't know you were so heated about B-vampire movies." He said calmly.

"Just the way people portray them- us, makes me sick. Wanna go pick up Tripp and Rocco? I'm sure that my brother is done romancing Kat." I said, rolling my eyes at the thought of my brother romancing anyone!

"Sure, and I still can't believe Kat agreed to this! She never go's after anyone."

"I think it's because she thinks she doesn't deserve love."

"That's crazy. Kat's...she's got a lot going for her for a vampire." He said carefully.

"Well, we can only hope this works out then!" I said as we turned into the entrance of the Drive-In, the same couple who complimented me on my outfit exclaimed, "That was the best live-action ever!" The other agreed.

I kept passing people in lame outfits exclaiming how "amazing" the live action was for them and how they had never seen such convincing acting before. Being the natural-born actress that i've always hoped to be (yeah right, I wouldn't appear in paparazzi pictures), I investigated. "Where's Tripp and Rocco?! I want to know what's going on, now!" I whipped my head back and forth. I got a few whistles from the occasional passing guy, which I replied with a wave of the hand. Claude got many appreciative looks from female admirers. Finally, I spotted a blonde haired kid and a tall one wearing a hat and I knew I found my targets.

"Yo, Tripp! Rocco!" Claude shouted. They whipped around, they had been whispering moments before.

"Oh, you found Onyx." Tripp smiled, "Where was she?"

I just smiled a gracious smile and wiped the excess drips of blood off my neck. They got the hint. "Ah." Tripp smirked, knowing that's probably where I'd be.

"Tripp, what was everyone talking about, good acting and such?" I asked suspiciously.

"Well, there was this couple dressed like Vladimir and Susan, and then they acted out the whole scene of the fake neck biting in front of everyone, it wasn't all that convincing however, and then there was this really pissed off white-haired kid in front of them." So, white-hair was here the whole time? Was it the same kid I saw?

"Do you know who the people were?"

"No, didn't get a close look. One was blonde, though." Rocco said. I huffed and looked around at the thinning crowd. Raven and Alexander were gone. "This is lame." I said, boredly. I hated not knowing what was happening, and I refused to stay in this God-forsaken place any longer. I leapt over the chain-link fence, taking a shortcut to the woods. I heard the sound of all the boys behind me. I decided to sneak up on the two lovebirds when I looked through the bushes, but only Kat remained, holding a rose and sitting quietly on a grave. "Oh, no." I grumbled, did my brother screw this up, too?

I leapt through the bushes, "Kat! W-wheres my brother?" I said nervously. Claude and the others appeared shortly after I asked the question. She just smiled and looked up at me with her gorgeous green eyes, "HE ASKED ME TO THE DANCE, ONYX!" She yelped, showing no signs of quiet, minx like Kat.

"Wh-what?" I asked, shocked, "He really did?! He didn't screw this up?!" I held onto Kat and felt like a real teenage girl, having real teenage girl conversations.

"He said he would be honored, and that he had never seen someone as beautiful as me!" She said, more quietly. The guys were milling around, completely bored.

"I-i'm so happy for you, Kat!"

"Who are you going with?" She asked, distracted.

I heard the footfalls behind me quiet for a bit, "Oh, i'm not going." I said, trying to play it off like it was nothing.

"Why?" She asked, genuinely concerned.

"I have never had a good experience at a dance, they all end up in embarrassment, and I really don't want to go and see Raven and Alexander all damn night." I rolled my now icy blue eyes.

"Oh, well," She started.

"But I can help you get ready!" I said brightly, "I don't think you really want to get ready in the gas station bathroom."

"No, not really." She laughed.

After I said goodnight to them all and hugged Kat, I returned home. I walked in the front door, about to run up to my brothers room and tackle him, when I noticed Alexander with... blood running down his face!

I was about to scream, when he flashed over to me and covered my mouth, "Shhh!" He hissed, "It's fake blood, but you don't want to wake anyone in the house!"

"Don't touch me, Alexander!" I said, yanking his hand away. He looked back at me with the same hard expression I saw on his face the night he talked bad about me in the cemetery.

"What has gotten into you?" He demanded, wiping the rest of the blood off.

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I a bad influence on you or something?" I hinted harshly. A flash of recognition appeared on his face and then left as quickly as it came.

"Onyx-" He started.

"Look," I interrupted not feeling a bit sorry, "I might be a bad influence, but at least I know I can be evil. So you may want to watch out, Alexander because you have no IDEA how evil I can get." I began walking up the stairs.

"ONYX, LISTEN!-"

"Shouldn't you be in bed or something?" I said interrupting him once again.


	11. Night of the Dance and Other Things

Today is the big event. The dance. The rest of the week had gone by slowly. Tuesday I stayed home due to 'blood poisoning' (a fancy way of saying my blood intake didn't agree with me), Wednesday I helped Kat go shopping at the antique store for her long skirted Victorian-era gown, and Thursday, I made a decision that has to do with today.  
"WHO'S READY FOR THE BIG DANCE TODAY?!" The preppy blonde said as she bounded into homeroom. There were surprisingly a lot of cheers. "Yay! And I would like to thank Onyx Beauregard for this astounding idea!" More cheers. I stood up and curtsied. The tickets consisted of a blood red background with a silhouette of a dark forest, and on top in calligraphy it said, "Love Bites!" And all the schools information, it actually looked pretty professional. I was impressed. It felt good to be back in my own metal boots, and Kat seemed to be love stricken. She had the same stoic expression on her face as always, but I could tell in her eyes she was happy.  
"Are you guys going to the dance?" I asked Claude nonchalantly.  
"Yes, actually, so we can keep an eye on things." He said suspiciously. I didn't bother asking.  
"Tonight will be magical!" The blonde said again, winking at me.  
I winked back, like we were actually friends. But she was right, tonight would be magical for some of us!  
"Kat you look so amazing!" I gushed, revealing her to myself. It was an hour before the dance, and I had just finished Kat's makeup and hair and she had slipped into her dress, she looked so perfect. Like she was really from the Victorian-Era.  
"Thanks, I just wish I could see myself." She said gloomily. I sighed, and bit my thumb nail.  
"Kat, i'm going to share something with you that no one outside my family knows." I made my way over towards my black vanity.  
"What is it?" She asked suspiciously.  
I reached into my top drawer and shuffled some papers around, then produced a white-gold compact mirror with the initials BB on it.  
"What is that?" She said in awe.  
"It's my grandmothers special mirror. I say special because it is the only mirror I know of that lets vampires see themselves, yet human cannot. She gave it to me before she...died. I have treasured it ever since and this is the only way I perfect my eyeliner in the morning."  
Kat was silent for a long time. She had never really seen herself before, she reached out for it then pulled back, but in the end, she took it. It popped open with a POP! and she slowly lifted it up.  
Kat gasped and stared at herself for a while, "Well?" I asked nervously. Kat felt her face all over, "I...I love it Onyx." She said, tears in her eyes. I breathed a sigh of relief, as Kat stared at her made up reflection consisting of smokey sparkly black eyes, rosy cheeks, and red lipstick.  
"Onyx- I- I can't thank you enough. W-why did your grandmother use this for?" She asked, changing the subject so she wouldn't cry.  
"My grandmother was a vampire hunter. She, herself, was a vampire but yet she hunted them. She used this mirror so she could pick OUT the vampires, rather than only see humans appear in the mirror."  
"What was her name?"  
"Beatrice Beauregard." I said with pride, "She was the only one I connected with the short time she was alive."  
"Listen, Onyx, you are an amazing person. When i'm with you, I don't feel the need to be the tough person I am, I feel like I can let my guard down." I moved a red-pink curl away from her face, "That's because you CAN." I soothed, knowing what it's like to grow up with no one around who understands you.  
"Okay, so, Raven and Alexander left already without knowing that you two were here," I started, "So now you can leave whenever you please!" I sounded like an overly-excited mother on the day of her daughter's first dance. Except, there would be no pictures tonight.  
"What are we going to do about pictures and mirrors!?" Derek asked, worried.  
"Don't worry! I told the preppy blonde chick that in old times there were no photographers and vampires didn't appear in mirrors and are bad luck." I smirked.  
"And she believe you?" Kat asked, astounded.  
"Yep! Now go have fun you two!" I looked longingly as they walked out the door and into the limo I had arranged for them. I kept waving until I saw the back lights of the car fade away. I stood there an extra couple of minutes, then bolted upstairs.

I stared into my compact mirror, deciding if I was really going to do this. My face was paled out more than usual, I lined my eyes with black eyeliner and eye shadow, filled in my dark eyebrows, my cheeks were a maroon color, and my lips were a deep wine. I looked beautiful. I snapped the compact closed and slipped on my boots over my brand new fishnets stockings. My dress was perfect. Then a thought hit me, I am really excited to to this. I've never been to a dance that wasn't held at the mansion at home, this was my first dance at a school.  
Yes, I have decided to attend the school dance without consulting anybody, because I just do not care. And quite frankly, I look like I could star in my very own classic horror film. Not the cheap kind like Kissing Coffins, but the real high budget kind.  
I climbed into the limo that I had arranged for myself, and drove off to the school.  
"No date?" The limo driver asked, surprised. I just looked out the window,  
"No, not right now anyways." He just chuckled and went back to driving as I smirked at the reflection-less window.  
The school had red and black banners strung everywhere out front and there were old time rugs and potted plants leading up to the ticket table. Couples dressed in store bought dresses, a few vintage, and a few that tried to blend in but just wanted to wear normal dresses. The guys wore suits, nothing was really different. Everyone turned to look at the girl who walked through the door. The girl who made this whole thing happen. The girl of the night. The girl in the black combat boots. They all smiled and waved at me, a few whistled and cheered. I got the occasional stare, although not from Trevor who just stared me menacingly down. I blew him a kiss, and I know I saw him falter a bit. My hair had been done up in super-curly tendrils, and put in a half-updo, with spirals spilling around my face. My fangs hung down from my mouth, easily visible even without smiling.  
"Here ya go, doll." I said, dropping my ticket on the table.  
"You look super good!" The preppy blonde girl gaped at me and my dress, "Like, REALLY good!"  
"Thanks!" I flashed a fangy smile and headed into the gym.  
The gym looked nothing like the gym. It was all red and black and old looking. The DJ stand was the only thing out of place. Rugs were all over the ground, and streamers and drapes hung everywhere. But touches of vampiric things like fake dungeon brick walls, and coffins were everywhere. Mini figures of castles lined the walls, bats hung from the ceiling, fake blood oozed everywhere, and red roses dipped in black were on every black cloth covered table. It was pure heaven. A techno remix of Maroon 5's Moves Like Jagger played through the speakers, and I made my way over towards Kat and Derek.  
I stopped when I locked eyes with someone. Alexander.  
And let me tell you, he did NOT look very happy to see me.

"Claude, why are we spying on Kat?" Rocco asked, boredly.  
"We're not spying on Kat. Onyx told me that Alexander and Raven were planning to go somewhere after this, she said it might have to do with what we want." He was resting backwards on a chair.  
"Relax Rocco," Tripp said calmly, "When's another chance gonna come along where we can observe normies in their natural habitat?"  
Claude agreed and picked up a fake rose, "The dances in Romania seemed way more interestingly decorated, these aren't even real." He threw it down.  
"Who is THAT?" Claude said, as he noticed a girl in a red dress with black flower accents all over it. Her hair was half up in curly tendrils. A true Gothic princess.  
"That's...ONYX." Tripp said, adjusting his glasses like he didn't believe himself.  
"No way!" Rocco commented.  
"She cleans up nice." Claude said, a mischievous smirk on his face. Onyx was standing alone, tying her shoelaces. Her dress was short in front and the back trained down to where it almost touched the ground. It had one halter strap. Her head snapped up and her eyes met a handsome boy in a obviously vintage tux. Alexander.  
"You're little cousin doesn't look too happy." Tripp commented, gesturing towards the sparks between Alexander and Onyx.  
"Neither does Kat." Rocco said, gesturing to Kat looking at Alexander. Onyx blew a kiss to Alexander and marched up to Kat, who gave her a hug and commented about how she was happy to see her and how much she loved her dress.  
The whole room seemed to stop when Onyx made her ways towards the center of the dance floor, perhaps the way the lights hit her fangs, or the way the disco ball hit all the sparkles on her dress, or maybe jut because she felt more beautiful that night than ever in her life.

"Why hello, strangers." I said gliding over to Claude's table.  
"I thought you weren't attending?" Tripp asked.  
"I couldn't stand pissing off Alexander and seeing all my admirers." I waved to no one in particular.  
"Tripp, want to go to the woods for a while?" Rocco asked, I knew what that mean.  
"Of course, this food doesn't exactly interest my palette." He rolled his eyes and stood up, "We'll be back in less than 20 minutes." Then they left.  
I could feel someone's eyes burning a hole into my back. It was two sets of eyes. Alexander's and Raven's. My mouth fell open. How could I have forgot? Neither of them knew I associated with Claude. Raven knew I knew them in school and sometimes talked to them, but Alexander didn't even know I knew they existed. This was my chance, to really, really make Alexander mad. Claude caught my eye, and I know he was thinking the exact same thing. He smirked, "Onyx would like to sit with me?" He purred.  
"Of course, Claude, love." I said, we were both half-laughing. Raven was steaming by the time I looked at her. I sat as close to Claude as possible, so close we were basically on the same seat.  
I leaned forward, and gestured towards the plate of food sitting on the table. He knew what I meant and picked up a chocolate covered cherry and tried to feed it to me. We were both basically losing it by then, he missed some of my mouth on purpose. I erupted in giggles. I threw a cherry at Claude and tried to hit him right in the face, but he caught my hand and ate the cherry.  
"That's no fair!" I giggled, not able to control it. Then Claude laughed, he actually laughed. I had never really seen Claude with a genuinely happy face, not ever. I've known him for three weeks, and never have I seen a non-smirking, just happy Claude. And I loved it. I didn't want him to leave. That thought popped up in my head, and I stopped laughing. I stared into Claude's eyes for the longest time, just trying to make sense of what I would be doing now if I hadn't met Claude or Kat or any of them! Even Alexander! I looked back over at Alexander and he and Raven were no where in sight. I looked back and Claude was resting his face on his hand, a knowing look on his face.

"I'm leaving!" I stormed past Claude and grabbed my shawl.  
"Onyx!" Claude said, "What happened?"  
"I overheard some things that I shouldn't have or at least don't want to!" I yelled, "I'm going to get this. It ends tonight!"  
"What are you talking about!?" Claude said, like I was actually scaring him.  
"Raven and Alexander left, and I'm not about to let them get away with running away without a fight!"  
"They ran away?!"  
"I don't care, but Alexander's getting what he deserves tonight!"  
"And the winner is... ONYX BEAUREGARD!" A voice called from the stage. Suddenly, a spotlight shone on Onyx, illuminating every single aspect of her outfit.  
"What?" I barked.  
"Come on up here, Onyx, you deserve this award!" The preppy blonde called, her fake blood trickling down her mouth. I was crowded towards the front of the stage, which I climbed up to avoid being squashed.  
"Here's to Onyx and her brilliant ideas, and bringing a new era to this school!" She placed a black sparkling crown on my updo, completing my Goth princess look. Cheers erupted louder than ever and I smiled and waved, but all I wanted to do was find Raven and Alexander. I saw Kat's face in the crowd, she was smiling but I saw something behind her eyes. Something different.  
As the girl announced the next song lineup, and that dance was only on for about another hour, I jumped off stage keeping my crown in place. I stumbled past Claude, as he grabbed my arm. "What are you doing?!" He asked, astounded at my changed mood.

"He will not get away with this. He ruined my life." Claude was still confused. I just sighed in frustration and yanked my arm away and proceeded out the front doors of the school.

"Where is she going?!" Asked Tripp.

"I know exactly where she's going." Claude said calmly.

I sat on the bus, dripping wet from the rain. I pulled my makeup bag out of my clutch that I grabbed before I stored out, and calmly started to reapply all my makeup. My hair was beyond helpless, but it would dry alright up in the updo it was in. I was on my way to the Coffin Club. Ready to face Alexander and confront him after all this time, I knew what he did.

Sitting next to me on the bus to Hipsterville was a Gothic couple, ogling over my outfit, even though I was soaking wet. I smiled a fanged smile, but kept my eyes focused on what I was about to do. First, I even had to get into the Coffin Club. The bus lurched to a stop and I took the opportunity to flash my mirror behind me, no one appeared but me, so that means there were no vampires on this bus at least. I had heard good things from Raven when we still spoke about the Coffin Club, how it was filled with people who loved what we loved, but did I really want people to love what I loved? I've gotten so used to being an outcast, I don't really know if I even want to fit in at all. It sounds boring and like too much work.

A guy a couple of seats ahead of me was obviously a Punk, and he smiled at me. His hair was half pink and half red. He looked decent for a mortal, so I took a seat beside him, getting too creeped out by the Goth couple inching closer to me by the minute.

"Hey," I said, "What's your name?"

"My real name is Aiden, but I just prefer A." He said with a slight Australian accent. He had an eyebrow piercing and about a million earrings. I immediately liked him.

"I'm Onyx, and I prefer Onyx." I smiled, revealing my fangs.

"Woah, nice fangs ya' got there. They look real." He said, impressed.

I giggled, "thanks...they're special made."

"So, never seen you around here."

"I'm from a few towns over, Dullsville. I came here to get to the Coffin Club." I said, pressing for clues.

"Ooh, touch luck, it's ah Friday, so it's gonna be hard to get into it unless you're a regular. Sorry." He said, feeling bad.

"Well, are you a regular?" I said, hoping he could get me in.

"No, no, no. I dig the underground scene. I 'ave my own club for my style, Anarchy. But my friend used to go to the Coffin Club, said it's pretty hard to get into on Fridays, almost impossible."

I sighed, "Oh, it's alright."

"Listen, this is where I get off, but here's my number if you ever just want to talk, alright?" He scribbled him name and number down on a scrap of paper, and hopped off the bus and met up with a group of guys. He waved at me from the window, I waved back. He seemed like he was being really nice, and not just trying to get a cheap hookup.

I stepped off the bus, and into the rain that had died down to just a drizzle. There was a long line of Goths with either black, lacy, or Hello Batty umbrellas. They all chatted excitedly. By now, I had dried off my dress, but my hair was still wet. They all simultaneously stopped talking when I walked up the row. A few whispers went around, I caught someone who said, "She's gorgeous! Where's she from? And that dress!" I just kept a straight face as I walked to the front of the line and up to the bouncer.

"I need in." I demanded.

"Well, we're full." He said without looking at me.

"I need in!" I demanded again. This time he looked at me, and he noticed how good I looked, "I'm sorry. Where is your ID?" He asked, hands out. I smacked my head, of course it was for over 21-year-olds.

"I left it on my vanity." I said in my best actress voice. He looked like he believed me but said, "Sorry. No ID, no entrance."

"Ugh!" I stamped off. I huffed and leaned again the wall, I could hear the metal techno bounce off the walls. I needed in there, Alexander and Raven could leave any time.

Suddenly, a flashing light bulb caught my eye. I moved over to it, and found an answer to my prayers. A back entrance. I smirked as I tried to jiggle the lock of the door, with no luck. Then I found a broken window, and moved all the glass out of the way, then climbed in. I fell over onto a pile of empty boxes, but found my way up. It seemed I was in some kind of basement, even though I could plainly hear the music above my head. I could see perfectly well in the dark, but I had no idea where I was going to go. I touched my hand on a doorknob, and twisted it. I was taken to a room painted red with maps hanging everywhere. A coffin was in the corner, with dirt trailing along the outline of it. Candles were set up all over, it was the ultimate punk room. I moved around for a while, touching all the different maps and pictures set up. I walked over to the coffin, and immediately smelled the smell of Romanian soil. I got down on my knees, and gripped the coffins lid on either side. I lifted it with a creaking noise, empty.

Empty except for a pillow and a blanket. I whipped off my crown, and set it on the table. Then I pulled out each bobby pin one by one. My hair trailed down my shoulders and by my waist. It was wavy from being wet for so long. I shook out my hair and walked towards the door. It was open. And in the door way was the hot white-haired kid I had seen only nights before. One of his eyes were blue, and one was green. I realized I was in his room, and I wasn't supposed to be here at all. I ran past him, and bolted towards a sign marked elevator. I pushed the button as fast as I could, while the boy just stared at me with a faint trace of a smirk on his mouth. I looked up one last time and locked eyes with him. I felt a shiver run up through me. Then I was taken to the floor of the club.

If that kid was here, Alexander and Raven couldn't be too far behind. Who was that kid anyway? The image of his haunting eyes were forever in my mind. They weren't normal, and I don't just mean the color. The way he used them and looked at someone, or perhaps through them... it wasn't normal. It wasn't just his eyes that were sexy, it was basically all of him. I shook my head back and forth, trying to erase that memory. I was here for a reason. The elevator dinged and I walked through it, and observed my surroundings. The walls, ceiling and floor were black and sparkling. A black and red bar lined most of the far wall. Tarot card readings were set up, and tables of Gothic merchandise were being sold. Goths were everywhere! Sitting in the sitting area drinking drinks, at the tables, even dancing on the rave-like dance floor. I felt at home, and everyone stared as I walked past, like I was a celebrity. I loved every second of it!

I focused back on my mission, and the image of the guy's eyes popped back into my mind. "Ugh!" I said audibly, catching the attention of an old tarot card reader. She had a lazy eye, and wore bright blue eyeshadow. She looked like a before picture on a makeover show. I winced.

"Dear, dear, dear!" She cried to me in a unfamiliar thick accent.

"Er, yes?" I said, looking around for Alexander and Raven. No sign of them anywhere.

"I need to read you!"

"I have no money, sorry!" I tried to walk away.

"Free! This is urgent!" She said, turning over cards on her table, "I am confused! I see many things. Death, confusion, greed, lust and happiness, all over the course of a year!" I rolled my eyes, these things were such a sham. But... she did say it was free.

"What does it mean?" I said, cautiously.

"I cannot tell, no details." She said frantically, waving her hands in front of her face.

"Please! I need to know!" I said, now emotionally invested. The old lady sighed heavily.

"Fine," She began, "Let me see...I see two girls who look the same but one is smaller. They are—are covered in blood! One is laughing and the other is scared, but, Oh, oh my! I-I need to excuse myself!" She said, running away without explanation. I stared after her as she turned and went inside a black tent set up of for merchants. Okay, that freaked me out. I thought about the message, and came up with nothing.

I glanced down at the card table, and laying face up in a mess of cards was one that depicted a fanged-human tied to a wooden stake, burning. It was surrounded by other fanged-humans, and on the bottom of the card it read simply, "Sacrifice." I backed up, terrified, and bumped into another table. "Hey!" I heard a shout from behind the table, but I ignored it. I ran up to the bar and slammed my head down in my arms, heaving. Something about that card...it felt like it was different from the others. I glanced up as a glass slid down my way, and I caught it without thinking.

"Woah," said the fake-fanged bartender, "nice one."

"Thanks," I said, distracted, "Um, who's it for?" I looked around.

"For you. It's from the guy down there," He searched for the man, "Huh, he's gone. Well, enjoy."

I nodded and looked down in my red liquid filled glass. Alcohol, no doubt, I could drink it without personal effect to my system, but who knew who it was from. I absent-mindedly slipped the drink farther down the bar. "Hey!" a voice yelled from the from of the club, "you!" I whipped around, and saw the bouncer heading straight for me, he was not happy. I immediately bounded up from my seat and looked around for a way out. I headed for the middle of the club where a set of heavily made up goths chatted, and I ducked in between every one of them. They didn't seem to notice. I looked up and the bouncer was right in front of me, I giggled and screamed and ran towards the packed dance floor. People moved every which way, I ducked between a group of Goths and tried to lose the man. I looked up, and the bouncer was half-way across the club, searching everywhere. I looked around helplessly for my next hide away, and my eye caught something shiny in the abandoned unauthorized area of the club, the black spiral staircase.


	12. But Its Better If You Do

I cried with joy as I snuck as unsuspiciously as possible to the stairs, tripping over someone's foot. I lurched forward and caught the black railing. I looked around one last time, no Raven or Alexander.

I could hear that whatever was upstairs had it's own radio playing. I identified the noise as Avenged Sevenfold. I bit my lip weighing out my options, then noticed that someone was pointing the bouncer in my direction. I widened my eyes and bounded up the stairs two at a time. I caught my breath at the top of the stiars and noticed someone smiling at me. It was a man in a smart suit, he had gray hair but he could only be in his 20's , and his teeth seemed to be sharper than most. He creeped me out, but he seemed friendly at the same time. He wore a mischievous grin.

"We've been expecting you." He smiled, feigning bashfulness.

"We?" I asked, breathlessly, "Who's we and what do you-?"

"SHE WENT UP THERE!" A bratty voice called, I knew they meant me. I gasped and the man opened the door as I ran into it and stumbled right into the arms, of the white-haired kid.

"Oh, hello." He smirked, his voice a velvety deep one. I stuttered and stared into his one green and one blue eye. Were they real, or contacts? Either way, they were...mesmerizing. He cocked his head, waiting for a polite response back. I pushed all thoughts from my swirling mind, the cards, the dance, this boy, and cleared my throat, "Hello." I said, professionally, pushing waves out of my eyes. He just plopped down on his red satin couch, and put one arm on the arm of the couch and one hand under his chin, waiting. He raised his eyebrows as if expecting an explanation on why I was up in his little, whatever it was, a meeting room? I glanced down at my black combat boots, my mind frizzy from not knowing what to say, and that's when he moved to me, and put his arms around my waist. I gasped and fell back on the matching red loveseat, and he fell right with me.

"My apologies," He started, not moving from his position, "I'm a bit clumsy." He grinned. Then he sat beside me and glanced sideways at me. The whole time I was wondering what he wanted, and why he had such an affect on me.

"So, what are you doing here?" He asked, his full interest on me.

"Hiding from the mall cop downstairs." I rolled my eyes.

He smirked again, "Well, yes, but what are you doing in this town?"

What a good question, did I even know the answer? "Well," I started, "I, well, I'm here on family visiting."

"And that guy?" He questioned. Guy? Claude?

"G-guy?" I stuttered.

"Alexander." He said plainly, not a catch in his voice. I faltered.

"A-Alexander?" I squeaked, "Well, I know him, but that's not why I'm here-"

"Thats's what i'm here for, I need to find Alexander." He looked deep into my eyes.

And why do you think I now where he is, you seemed to know him well enough at the theater."

"So you remember me?" He smiled.

"Of course I do, but why do you need to know him if you...already know him?"

"I talked to him, but I need to know where he lives. We used to be good friends when we were younger, but then something happened between us and I need to make things right, but he refuses."

"Oh...well, I maybe could help." Why did he feel the need to play twenty questions with me? Why did he keep asking questions when it was so obvious he knew the answers. And he was so set on getting to know me, he didn't even ask my my favorite color or my NAME even or...anything. It's like he knew me and knew what he wanted and what questions to ask. It was a bit flattering but mostly unsettling. The way he looked at me with his eyebrows raised, and his one blue and one green eye was so different. Like it was sensuous and cute all together. He had an air of a little kid who liked to play pranks, but yet he acted like a normal teenager. But still, WHY did he want to know all this so quickly?  
I got up and moved around to look out the tall glass windows at the city outline in the near distance, trying to shake my nerves. When I turned around, the kid was there. His arm leaned against the window, he stared at me with his eyes. They weren't just plain eyes, they weren't even just mesmerizing...

They had an almost sensual feeling. WHY did the interest me so much?! I could feel myself moving towards him, and when we were almost touching I mumbled, "I need to change out of these wet clothes." Then gestured towards my damp red and black dress. Without a word, he smirked and took my hand. We went out the way we came, but instead of all the glares and the evil bouncer heading towards us, there were glares and glances of totally envy. This kid must be really popular around here. I stopped in my tracks, the kid noticed and turned back towards me.

"Yes?" He asked, his white and red hair in his blue-green eyes.

"Who are you?" I said, crying over the throbbing beat of Skrillex. I couldn't take it anymore.

"The names Jagger." He said grinning, revealing his two prominent fangs. I faltered again, but then quickly remembered everyone here had fangs. Even the bouncer did.

"Onyx." I said at normal volume, feeling the black cross around my neck. He must've heard me because he smiled and dragged me to the basement where his room was.

I stepped in his room and took another look around. My crown sat on his table, and my heart leapt. He didn't seem to notice though, he fished out an oversized (even for him) Mötley Crüe concert tee, "Sorry, I don't have any shorts to give you." He shrugged.

"It's alright, I have my undershorts." I gestured to my dress. He chewed on his lip ring, nodded, and stepped into the hall.  
I started to peel off my layers, when I noticed the door move out of my peripheral vision.

"Close the door all the way!" I commanded, slamming the door the last bit. I heard a snicker from the hall. I slipped into the concert shirt and tied it back so it hung a bit loosely around my tall, thin frame, and left on my still damp black stretchy shorts. I retied my boots, after I removed my banged-up fishnets. I looked at the pathetic things, then sighed and threw them in a bag Jagger supplied and opened the door. He leaned expectantly against the door frame, his dog tags around his neck clanging together. He was tapping his fingers against the frame. He stared at me again. To avoid his beautiful gaze I said, "this place looks really nice. Like a punk's dream room." I swung my arms.

"Yeah, it's pretty sweet." He looked around, "Gets a little creepy at night." He smiled again. I noticed a small skeleton earring in his ear. I felt my own bats, then realized I had diamonds in, but they weren't mine. My stomach turned, I held it.

"All right?" Jagger asked, holding on to me.

"Yeah, I-i'm fine. Ate something bad this morning." He held my hand, and strangely I let him. "What are these?" I asked, changing the subject and pointed to maps all over the wall.

"My little reve- project." He smiled.

The newest map was one of Dullsville with the cemetery circled in huge red ink. It wasn't Claude's grave, it was Alexander's grandmothers land mark. I widened my eyes. I tried to make sense of what it was, why were ANY of these maps up here? They were purely grave sites with big black X's on them. Why did he need to know about the grave site if he just needed to talk to Alexander? Was he there the same reason Claude was? That's when bleak realization hit me.

No.

He was here for an entirely different reason. A horrible one.

Just as that thought crosses my mind, a black leather journal caught my eye, and on the front RAVEN was scratched into it. I recalled a memory of Raven writing furiously in it one day, and this was definitely her journal. I picked it up and whipped around, "what's this?" I demanded, refusing to let Jagger come any closer. He just smiled, "oh, that? It's a souvenir." My eyes widened, and that's when it hit me, Jagger didn't want HELP. He wanted REVENGE. Even though I wanted revenge, I didn't want to take it to the extremes like he did. I had to leave, now.

"Why do you have it?" I demanded.

He just smiled and gently took the leather-bound book from my hands.

"WHY?" I cried in frustration.

"Listen, Onyx, in order to 'find' Alexander, I needed to 'find' Raven first. And so with this...I will." He laughed. I stared at him hard, then grabbed the book, and flung Jagger back. I looked at him and he staggered to get up, then realized I needed to run, because Jagger was no longer smiling. I leapt over candles laying on the ground, and bolted out the door with Jagger almost behind me. I pressed the elevator button rapidly.

"Come on! Come on!" I mumbled, noticing Jagger walking calmly out of his room and smiling right at me. I fled up the stairs behind me and right into the main floor of the club. Everything was content. Well, as content as a Goth club could be. I stopped to catch my breath, looking around. Still no Raven or Alexander.

I picked up my pace when I heard a laugh that sounded eerily like Jagger's, ran right into someone.

"I'm so sorr-!" I started, "Claude?!" I cried with relief as he picked himself up off the floor and rubbed his forehead.

"Onyx!" He yelled, "what the hell?! Ow!" I grabbed onto his arm. "What are you doing here?" I asked, relief washing over me again. I hugged Claude tight, I thought I would be stuck here forever with the white-haired maniac in the basement. I would not relive that chapter in my life.

"I heard you leave, and I knew you'd be here." I whipped around, and notice Jagger chatting up a couple of smitten dread-fall covered Goths. They pointed to the front direction.

"No time to explain!" I cried, "We need to leave. NOW!" I pulled Claude's arm, right to the entrance. A semi-pretty goth with a nose stud stopped Claude and leaned into him, I lost it.

"HE'S MINE!" I roared, baring my fangs. Then proceeded to leave the building and right into a red truck.

We sat, breathless, and I fumbled to start the car. "Is this Becky's truck?!" I asked.

"Yeah, Tripp 'borrowed' it."

"Hello!" Tripp called cheerfully from the back seat. I screamed and looked back, Kat and Rocco were there, too.

"What's that?" Kat asked airily, pointing at my journal.

"I...found Raven's journal in there." I said cautiously as Claude pulled out of the parking lot.

"So...they were there?" Tripp asked.

"Not exactly." I groaned.

"Why were you in such a hurry to get out of there?"

I thought long and hard, I didn't want Claude to find out about Jagger, because they both wanted some type of revenge. And it would be better to leave them separate. I knew Claude was nice around me, but around Alexander, he loses it. "I...wasn't old enough to be in there. The 'mall cop' was chasing me all over the place." I cleverly stated.

"So, what's it say?" Kat said, breaking the silence.

"What does what say?" I asked back, confused.

"That." She pointed at the journal with bright red nails.

"I-I don't know! I can't just read it." I fumbled.

"And why not?" She asked, smoothly.

"It's not mine." I retorted.

"But isn't Raven pissing you off? Why can't you just read it?"

"I...just can't, okay?" I said, making it clear we were done with the conversation. Kat didn't say anything more.

Back at the cemetery, I sighed and threw the journal on a gray grave. I looked around, no sign of Alexander, Raven, or Jagger. Good.

"So, you don't want to know at all whats in the journal?" Tripp questioned, knowing the answer. It was apparent because of the smile on his lips.  
"Of course I do. But if I were in the same-"  
"What if it...magically fell open?" Kat hinted, shoving the journal onto the dry grass, and like magic, it flipped open to the bookmarked page.  
I stared at it intently, then picked it up without second thought.  
"This is the latest entry," I started, trying to push the guilty feeling away, "It says, 'She is starting to get on my nerves. First she interrupted me and Claude fighting, like I couldn't handle myself. Then she goes and fights Trevor and causes a huge scene for herself. I know she's my friend, but half the time she acts like she has...split personalities. Perhaps Alexander was right and she is just bad news. Either way, there's a dance Friday, and it'll be perfect. I have to go, Alexander is here!" I stared at the black lead marks, and threw the book back on the grave. Claude had his hand to his face, stifling a laugh. Tripp, and Kat were staring at me, bewildered. And Rocco was looking around for food.  
Then, when they saw my facial expression, all was silent.

"I'm going to help you." I said, breaking the silence.

"What?" Claude said, not believing me.

"I'm going to help you find the vials." I said simply, "If Raven thinks i'm evil, wellll, let's show how evil I can get. What better way then to go against what she loves most...your precious cousin." I smiled darkly, then snickered. The very thought of Raven having the nerve to call me evil when she never even seen my true form of evil! HA! I looked up at the moon, then at Claude, who was grinning. I returned the grin, and continued to stare at the sky. I knew all along that they were waiting for me to join them.

After another 5 minutes of silence, I asked,

"What happened after the dance?" I remembered the look behind Kat's eyes as I was on stage. She looked like she wanted to kill someone, I wonder if she did.

"Did you have a good time?" I asked cautiously, directly towards Kat. She didn't look at me, but continued to file her nails.

"You know, you have to tell her sometime." Tripp said, flatly.

"What?" I asked, alert, "What happened?"

No answer.

"Tell. Me." I threatened.

No answer.

"Listen. I have been through absolute hell tonight. I ruined my first normal dance, I can't find Raven and Alexander, I almost got kidna- kicked out of a club by a twenty foot tall man," I saved myself, "And a lot, lot more. So if someone doesn't tell me, i'll be forced to do something that I'm not going to be proud of."

"Kat, tell her." Claude demanded.  
Kat sighed, "Okay," She had the same expression on her face, "I dumped Derek." She said simply them went back to filing her nails.

"WHAT?!" I said, not over with the conversation, "WHY?!"

"I like someone else." She stated simply.

"Who else could you possibly like? Trevor?" I sneered, feeling myself breaking.

"No, you don't know him." She had a slight smirk on her bright red lips.

"We aren't here to place Matchmaker, Kat. We're here for a reason!" I said, stating the fact that Derek might have been her one true chance at happiness, and just because she found someone else attractive doesn't mean she should go dumping my brother! And if she ever hopes on finding the vials, then she shouldn't be falling in love with a complete random!  
"What the actual hell, Kat?! That pisses me off!" I leaped in front of her and snatched her file. She glared at me, then got up herself.  
"How much?" She pushed.  
"Kat, what's gotten INTO you?! I thought we were friends!"  
"We are friends, but then you went and SNATCHED my file." She snatched it back.  
I stared at her for what seemed like the longest time then after all the weight of the night fell on me. Jagger, the dance, Raven, Alexander, Kat, I didn't transform into my evil self, but just because I didn't, doesn't mean I still can't fight.  
"What?" Kat demanded, when she looked up and saw me staring. Without a word, I just leapt at her. Before I knew it, Jagger was between us, "LOOK! You're both being really stupid. Fighting isn't the answer."  
"Oh, yeah? Since when, Claude?" I asked him directly. I looked over his shoulder at Kat, who had a wild look in her eyes. Her claws were outstretched and she looked ready to fight. I hissed at her and Claude nudged me hard in the shoulder. I looked up at him and he had a threatening look on his face. I rolled my eyes.  
Then a bad feeling hit my stomach. I gripped it and glanced off towards the direction of my house. I glided past Claude and Tripp and grabbed onto Raven's journal and hopped over a grave and headed for home without even a glance back at the drama I left behind.  
Something was wrong with Derek.

I slammed the door shut to the mansion, knowing no one would be asleep. I whipped my head around and saw no sign of life in the house anywhere. "UGH!" I yelled and ran up the stairs. I came to a stop beside the stairs to Alexander's attic. I began to climb the stairs, then hesitated. I decided against it and ran to my brothers room instead.  
"DEREK! DEREK!" I banged on the door. No answer. I heard a crash in my room. Jagger. I thought. I slowly inched towards my door, then threw it open and backed up like it was on fire. There, was my brother, one foot out my second story window, and a black canvas bag slung over his shoulder. His dark brown/black hair was in his eyes. I looked at him stunned.  
"Wha-what are you doing?" I asked, trying to catch my breath. I looked over at my kittens laying together, they had no idea what was going on. Neither did I.  
"I..this might be hard for you Onyx, but I need to leave for a bit, alright?"  
"W-what?!" I cried, "WHY?!" I stood still.  
"I need some time to think through some things, alright?" He threw his leg back over the railing, but didn't discard his backpack.  
"No, Derek, it's not. I-is this about Kat? I talked to her, okay! You can stay!" I begged like a two-year-old.  
Derek looked like this hurt him, "It's not just her. It's a lot of things that happened and will happen soon, Onyx. Okay? Please trust me."  
I stood there, holding back my tears. Looking at my dark purple rug, it's not okay. At all. "What will I do without you, Derek?" I whispered.  
"This is only temporary. A week tops." His voice cracked a bit, unusual because his voice was usually buttery smooth.  
"What will I tell mom and dad?!" I cried, thinking of anything that would let him stay. I depend on him, and he does me.  
"I...don't think they're coming back anytime soon. They never were." He said, coldly.  
"Please." I whispered simply, "Please." I felt arms around me, I looked up and Derek was hugging me tight. I could feel his chest rise and fall quickly, unnecessary for someone who doesn't breathe. I stood therem like a statue. He kissed the top of my head, and as he left I grabbed his arm and pulled into a hug.  
"Please, stay out of the sun." I said shakily, trying to control my tears.  
"I will." He whispered, the went over to the open window. He hesitated, then said, "Onyx. Whatever happens. You do not agree. You do NOT do whatever they say, alright? You've made promises before, but keep this one. DO NOT DO WHAT THEY TELL YOU." Then he disappeared into the night. I stood there, tears running down my face, and my head full of confusion.  
Suddenly, there was a rap at the door behind me. I flung it open, and there stood Alexander. Where was he? He had leaves in his hair, and he had a damp river smell to him. I eyed him quizzically. The breeze from the open curtains behind me reminded me of what had just happened moments ago.  
"What was all that noise?" He asked, his face stone cold. The way he looked at me, assuming I was having a wild vampire party up here made me sick.  
"IT WAS MY BROTHER. LEAVING FOR GOD KNOWS WHERE, ALRIGHT?! IS THAT ALRIGHT?!" Alexander just looked at me and back at the window.  
"O-Onyx? He, LEFT?" He glanced at the window behind me.  
"God! You full vampires make me so sick! All godly and narcissistic! Acting like they contribute so much. I'm so sorry I caused a racket, up here. Next time i'll try to tell my brother to abandon me more quietly!" I frustratedly wiped tears off my face and slammed the door in his stunned face and climbed under my covers and sobbed until the cheery sun rays hit penetrated my gloomy fortress. I thought about not going to school, but then I thought, 'why not share my pissed off attitude with everyone?'  
I had a few choice words for Raven.  
And Kat.  
And whoever stood in my way today.


	13. Build God, Then We'll Talk

It was the Monday after the dance, Jagger, the cemetery...and my brother leaving. I swallowed a lump in my throat, trying to keep the stone cold face I wanted. It would not be a pleasant day for anyone. Not Kat, Raven, and especially not Trevor if he stood in my way, surprisingly, I didn't even see him at the dance. Huh.

I strode into school, breezing open the double-doors and went straight to my locker. I looked around and saw nothing out of the ordinary. The halls still smelled like pencil shavings and stale books, and the kids were chatting excitedly about the dance.

"Can you believe she won homecoming queen?!" Someone called, obviously jealous.

"Well, she is pretty hot." A male counterpart commented. Instead of rolling my eyes, a realization hit me, I won homecoming court. As I shakily opened my locker, letting another thought hit me. But there was no need, because it was in front of me. My black crown, the very same one I had left on Jagger's nightstand, was sitting in my locker winking at me.

I felt the need to hurl as I slammed my locker shut and heaved. How did it get here? Did someone find it? Did I actually grab it and leave it in the club? No, because who would've known it was mine?! That only means one thing...Jagger knows where I am, and what school I go to. What did he even WANT from me?! I slowly let the reality of all this sink in as I slammed my back against my locker and slowly slunk down into a big black pile of distraught. I clutched my ears between my hands and thought of my next move. That's when a shadow loomed over me, I slowly looked up and feared the worst, Jagger, but it was Claude.

That's when all the past days events took over me, and the fact that I was lucky to see a gorgeous familiar face instead of a white haired-tattooed (well, less tattooed) evil genius. I sprang up and threw my arms around Claude's neck. I clutched on, afraid to let go. That if I did, everything bad would fall on me all at once, and that was not worth anything. Claude made me feel safe, weird as that is.

"Woah," He said, a soft tone in his voice, "what the spikes." He smiled, referring to my many spiked bracelets. When I looked up into his bright blue eyes, I felt comfort. While Raven only saw the evil side of Claude, I saw that plus the softer side, which made him more desirable and lovable at the same time. Granted, Claude was evil, perhaps more than Jagger at some times, but the good outweighed the bad with me. Plus, I could be just as evil, perhaps MORE evil, if I wanted. I realized I was still staring at Claude with my arms around his neck, on the tip-toes of my Ulti-Goth boots.

Claude was wearing a simple black t-shirt, which was weird for him, and ripped up jeans, with a black knit beanie. He looked sick, or at least paler than usual, if that was possible. I quickly removed my arms and looked away, secretly smiling, then said, "are you alright?" I felt his head, which was cold, obviously. Duh. I thought, He's DEAD!

"Are you alright?" He insisted removing my hand, but softly, as if speaking to a bunny.

"What do you-?" I started, then felt something wet on my face. Was I crying without notice? I wiped off my tears from my face and stared at the ground. So much for the stone cold expression.

"Look, I may be the bad guy, but I can also be nice to the people that don't piss me off." He grinned, and took my hand and wiped a stray tear off my face.

I smiled and laughed, "I feel so stupid! I was planning on being pissed off all day, then you come along and it's not fair!" I fake pouted. He laughed and playfully hit my on my head.

"You're not as good an actress as you think, huh?" I smiled, then my smile faded fast when I saw Raven walk into the school.

I just sat there in silence as Claude looked at me hard.

"Onyx, what happened after the cemetery, last night?" He asked in a deep velvety voice, knowing something much bigger happened. I shivered.

"Derek...Derek left, Claude." I said, barely audible. But Claude heard me.

"What? Why?" He said, pressing for details.

"He said...he said that things are going to happen soon and that he needs to get away. And that Kat was only part of it." I said, my eyes growing dark at the thought of Kat.  
That heartless expression on her face when she told me she dumped my older brother. I bared my teeth as the she-devil walked in. She looked just fine, perhaps better, with her short leather jacket, and red and white dress. I let out a low growl and walked towards her without thinking. A pale arm lurched me to a stop, "Come on Onyx, not right here." Claude sighed, knowing I would do something I would have regretted. I hissed lowly, and tried to take deep breaths, calming down.

"I'll get what I want later." I accidentally said out loud, pacing.

"Better?" Claude smirked, raising his eyebrows.

"Is this funny to you?" I asked, eyes squinted. He just bit his lip to keep from laughing and nodded his head. I stepped up to him and swung my leg back, ready to kick, when the bell rang. I pointed towards him and said, "You got lucky, Sterling."

In home room, people were still buzzing about the dance, but most were buzzing about some carnival.

"Can you believe the carnival is already here AGAIN!?" Blondie said, too enthusiastically.

"I know, and this time they have a live band!"

"It's this Saturday, already?! Where did the time go?!"  
I just sat in my desk, watching all the boys and girls associate. I glanced to my left, Kat and Rocco were gone, using the buddy system again, and Tripp and Claude were hunched over, talking. To my right were another group of over-enthusiastic kids talking about the carnival. And a few rows in front of me was Trevor Mitchell, sadly looking healthier than ever. I made a sound of disgust and turned away. I needed to know what they were talking about. Instead of interfering, I pulled out my Olivia Outcast: Special Edition notebook and flipped open to a new page, and began to sketch what I saw in my dream last night. It was a graveyard, but instead of being empty, it was filled with black shadows that danced, almost as if having a party, but then they all vanished and everything was red, including the sky. When I looked up, Claude was looking back at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Onyx, if you were 200 year old blood vials, where would you hide?" He asked sarcastically.

"Well," I started, "I'd be in the last place anyone would look."

"Where would that be?"

"Somewhere obvious." I stated. Which was true, if I WERE vials of ancient vampire blood, I would be somewhere so obvious, no one would find it, like the spice cabinet. Claude seemed to actually be thinking the answer over, then smirked, revealing fangs, and turned back to Tripp. Tripp took my answer into consideration, nodding, and I went back to drawing. I looked out the window, noting how almost all the leaves have changed, since it was November, but still considerably warm. In a few weeks, it would get too cold to go outside without a coat, but for now, it felt like late fall. I smiled to myself as I saw a black cat run across the lawn.  
I glanced up and saw Kat glide in, without Rocco, and I felt the urge to lunge at her again. I jiggled my leg up and down really fast, and inhaled deeply. My evil instinct to kill Kat was way too strong, even for me, so I hopped up and glided out of the room while the teacher slept on her desk. I glanced back in the window and Trevor was looking at me with a look of bewilderment. I didn't care, I just needed to get out of here until lunch time, because that's when Raven get's it.

Lunchtime at Dullsville High was actually opposite, surprisingly. Granted, it wasn't as amazing as it could be, but there was enough action to last at least a day. The cliques were separated, just like in the teen chick flick movies. You have the jocks, nerds, band geeks, hot cheerleaders (gross), wanna-be gangsters, the outcasts, and more. They also have plenty of empty tables in case you want to be daring and sit by yourself, or don't know where you belong. I just usually mill about, but today I sat with Claude at the only table that seats four by the window. It's always open in the fall/winter time, but being dead, Claude and I don't feel the effects of the biting cold. I threw back my chair and plopped down next to Claude and Tripp.  
"Where's Kat and Rocco?" I asked bluntly.  
"No where to be found. They said they were going to search, but I highly doubt that." Tripp commented, pushing buttons on his Iphone.  
"Hmp." I said, and looked around, "as long as she's not around me. For some reason, my urge to kill her is just too strong, it's weird. It's never been like this, before." I gently placed my face on my hand and looked up expectantly, instead I got blank stares. "What?"  
"We've never...really had an URGE to kill someone. Maybe we're thirsty, but no urges to just up and kill someone." Claude said, looking up at me through blonde lashes. I didn't know what to say, do I tell him about my, er, curse now?  
"Listen, Claude, I-" I sighed hard, then looked at him, but then something happened to interrupt me yet again.  
"Yo, yo, yo listen up, Kiddies!" Trevor Mitchell grinned, standing up on his chair and swishing his golden hair out of his eyes. The rest of the soccer team beat on their tables to get attention and a few stood up as well. Some were throwing soccer balls around and most had cocky grins on their faces. "Thank you!" Trevor continued, "So this Friday is the annual Soccer team party!" He paused for cheers, which he got.  
"It's at my place, and you better believe it's gonna be the party of the year!" He said with his deep voice. He smiled and looked right at me, "And yes, Freak, even you and Raven are invited. What can I say, i'm a giver!" He hopped down from his chair, and chucked a soccer ball over at my table. Which I easily caught without looking, and when I knew Trevor wasn't looking, I returned his throw, harder. It hit him square in the back and I waltzed past him, tousling his hair. "Wouldn't miss this party in a million years, Babe. Just...try not to get beat by and Freak-Goths again, please. It's my job." He turned around with the same grin on his face and pressed me against him. "How about you and me have a little fun at this party." He said, only me and him could hear.  
I looked him up and down, "Don't make me take you down again." I bantered back, a teeny-TINY part of me was relieved that Trevor had forgotten about our fight. Either that or he was planning my demise. Either way, I can handle it.  
As I walked away, I heard "Dude, she is SMOKIN'. She's hotter than Raven." and, "Can you imagine how hot she'd be if she looked normal?!" And my all time favorite, "Trevor could get her any day." I just heard Trevor laugh confidently. That's when a delicious plan hit me. It would be perfect for Trevor's party! It would make him look like a love-sick fool. I planned out my strategy, when I saw Raven from across the cafeteria staring at me, then at Trevor. Did she look...jealous? That's when I realized direct attacks on her wouldn't be the same as making her suffer from afar. "Perfect." I smirked. I noticed that I left Claude without telling him where I was going, but he ran out of the cafeteria with Tripp calmly following. To give the people a good show, and to amp up the heat, I waltzed up to Trevor and stood behind him. I winched, rolled my eyes, and threw my arms around his shoulders. He jumped a bit in surprise, "yes?" He asked.  
I leaned in and whispered, "I'm going to destroy you at your party, got it, babe?" He obviously expected me to say something along those lines, so he just calmly turned around and shook my hand, "deal." He smirked. I returned it with a confident gaze.

Friday could not come long enough. I had so much to do, and a lot to think about. I pulled out my note book and made a list.

Things To Worry About:

Kat  
Raven  
JAGGER  
My brother  
Romania  
Trevor's party  
the vials  
I stared at the paper. Seven. I had seven things to worry about on my plate. I circled Jagger and my brother, because those were my top worries right now. I hugged my Black Butler Sebastian pillow tighter and drew a smiley face under my list, it didn't work. I'm not depressed, or sad even, just wore out and tired. I went to my brothers room and threw open his door. Nothing. I ran my hand over his black coat and looked at his posters of Korn and Marilyn Manson. I sat on his messy bed and bounced up and down. Then I paused when I spied a brassy key laying on my brothers bedside table. I gripped it in my pale hand, and went into Derek's closet. I pushed aside his black clothes, and hovered my hand over the lock, and turned the key and opened the wobbly attic door. Inside, it smelled musty, I slowly shut the door behind me. I looked around the empty, windowless space, and locked my eyes on a black and red coffin. I felt a flip in my stomach immediately. I could smell the Romanian soil sprinkled around the coffin, and on a little table beside the coffin was a half-melted black candle, and a now empty picture frame. I pushed my hand along the edges of the coffin and felt the soil build into little piles at my fingertips. I slowly unlatched the coffin and with a creak lifted the lid. Empty. I sighed and placed the lid back on top of the coffin. I remembered a time when I was told I had to sleep in a coffin, when in reality, I could have slept out in the sun all day. Since I am technically a halfie, after all. But, I guess that was just another lie to keep me from being what I really am. I sat in silence in the pitch black room, and heard bats up in the attic. I smiled at that thought.

When I finally sat for long enough, I stood up and pushed open the creaking attic door, into the sunless teen bedroom. I made Derek's bed and left the room. I decided that I might as well get started for Trevor's party. I thought about Jagger, and how he knew where I lived, and how he knew what locker belonged to me. Perhaps I was wrong, and that Alexander and him are in cahoots, and they are planning an attack.

Or maybe I'm just really paranoid.

Either way, I pushed Jagger from my mind, and strolled into the Dullsville mall. I knew they wouldn't have a Hot Topic, but I knew they would have plenty of stores for my plan. I picked up a mall map, which was surprisingly big for a boring town, and started my search. I got plenty of stares from middle aged and old people. A few looks from teens, but most knew me, so they just walked on. I walked into Hollister, and cringed. I noticed all the teenage employee's giving me weird looks, like I was a lion in a field of bunnies. They were afraid I was going to kill them or something. I walked over to a pair of ripped-knee dark wash super-skinny jeans and picked up a size 1. Gross.

"They look so...plain." I mumbled, and threw them down. I waltzed around the store a few times, nearly choking on perfume the whole time. They had to pump that stuff in through the vents, it was disgusting. I walked out, gagging, and into the next store.

By the time I was done, my search was fruitless, and I had a massive headache from the rank perfume. I sighed, about to give up and go home, when I noticed a bookstore, Barnes and Noble. My eyes lit up as I swiftly walked to the bookstore, which smelled like freshly-roasted coffee, and not death gas. I walked up and down the aisles, looking at the new teen releases.

"Vampire love story, vampire love story, vampire love murder mystery..." I sighed, over half of these books were about a secret vampire fell in love with a hopeless human, and they had to make things work. I thought of Raven and Alexander, and stifled a laugh.

Some cover with red and silver on it caught my eye. It was a book entitled, Romanian Vampires. I picked it up immediately and leafed through the pages. All the illustrations were of evil, wrinkled creatures that were either half bat or just plain ugly. I passed all the different kind of "vampires"

Evil. Hidden. Furious. Nighttime.

I paused when I came to the Half-Vampire section. There were three main types. Strong, like Rocco and Claude. Smart, like Tripp. And...Seduction vampires. Like Kat, and...me? The picture showed a super gorgeous female vampire looking into the eye of the reader. Wait, a second. That even looked like...me! I flipped to the cover. In the corner it read, "REAL Old Time Sketched of EACH Vampire!" My stomach flipped as I remembered having a family portrait done for my aunt's birthday. This was either me, or my mother, but either way, is this what I am?

"Seduction Vampires, or AKA, Nymph Vampires, use their looks to attract prey and use others to do their tasks when need be. They only use their powers of seduction without notice. Some may not even notice they are using the power, until it's too late. It's not very effective on any other sort of vampire, especially other members of the half-vampire family. However, there are cases that their powers could be just the opposite, and could attract only vampires, but that's rare." I speed-read to myself. I slammed the book back on the shelf and ran out to the fresh air. So, that's all I am? A pretty face? And, what if I do have that affect on half-vampires, and that's why Claude talks to me. I couldn't stand that thought, so I shoved my I-pod in my ears and walked home.

Tuesday: Nothing much has happened today, except someone pulled the fire escape, and we had to wait for an hour outside. Way to go, whoever it was.

Wednesday: Claude and them have not come to school today, and there have been rumors of a hunter gone missing in the woods. Well, good, killing innocent animals is wrong.

Thursday: I didn't go to school today, instead I've been staying inside. My thirst has been killing me lately, but I can't leave until tonight, happy happy joy joy.

It's Friday, just after school, and I was totally ready for tonight. I licked my fangs in anticipation, and thought back on today's events. Claude never came to school, but Trevor kept giving me these weird looks. Like he was up to something. I bet he is. I've been avoiding Raven this whole week, and it's worked. But, tonight, I'll hit her somewhere that would even hurt her, her childhood crush. I touched the curling iron with my finger, and felt a bit of warmth. Since i'm a halfie, I have a bit of sense of touch. I figured it was warm enough, and began to curl my rib-length blue-raven hair, and let it fall just above my ribs. It was shiny, freshly-washed. After an hour of trying to curl my hair without success, I decided to just put it up in rollers. After that, I pulled out my American Eagle bag from under my bed, and picked out my dark wash super-skinny jeans. I cringed and slipped them on. They felt like normal skinny jeans, but somehow different. Plain. I pulled out my new light pink silver-studded tank-topped corset and slipped it on. Then, I put my feet into my new brown-wool boots. I put on some tan foundation on my face and neck that I picked up at Sephora, so that I had a normal person complexion. Then I put on some simple black cat eyeliner and clear lip gloss. I let my hair down one-by-one out of its rollers and clipped open my compact. I feared the worst, and I almost screamed.  
I looked so boring and normal! I felt like I needed to wash it all off, but even though I hated it, some would say it looked good. I felt like someone had replaced me with a gross life size Malibu Barbie, but...I did look good, I guess. All the normie boys would appreciate it. I finished up with my black leather jacket, and a gold cross necklace that I picked out from my never ending collection. I was ready to break some hearts...then come home and wash this off my face and never speak of it again. I pulled out my compact and gave myself one more look, if I didn't appear back, I would have thought someone else was here with me. I snapped it shut and strolled out of my room and out to the awaiting limo. I had no idea what this party was about, just a 'just because' party? Typical normie.  
We passed row after row of plain houses, until we came upon one just a bit more secluded in the back with a huge back yard and woods behind it. There were already people there. Sitting, some dancing, a lot making out. Gross. I wasn't the least bit nervous, but I still didn't like the unsettling looks Trevor had been throwing my way all day. I reapplied my clear gloss as the limo stopped and I got all kinds of looks. Most out of envy.  
"Who's that? Did Trevor get a band?" Someone commented.  
"Wouldn't surprise me." Someone replied.  
Trevor was no where in sight, probably still getting ready. It looked as if the lawn held its maximum capacity. I grinned as I looked myself over one more time. I still felt out of my element, but this is where the acting skills come in. Here goes nothing.

I slowly extended my denim-clad leg from the car, and stepped into the dimly lit front yard. I straightened my corset. People were already looking at the black limo extending from the driveway. I slyly grinned as Jameson waved and pulled out of the driveway. I bounced my curls to one side of my head, and started walking towards the back of the house.  
"Who IS that?"  
"Is she like, Trevor's cousin?"  
"Is she a model? She could be, easily."  
"I love her corset!"  
These were a few comments I heard as I kept my eyes straight and headed right for the food table. I glanced around me and noticed a few stares, and a few more that weren't so coyly hidden. I could do without all the attention, but apparently i'm a Nympho Vampire so I can't really help it. A light flicked off upstairs in the house, and I smiled to myself. I looked around and pulled out my compact and my Lime Crime pink lipstick and swished it on over the gloss. That's when I spotted her. Raven. She looked over at me with Becky, then did a double take. Why was she here, I knew she would be, but still...I thought she hated Trevor. I thought she'd be with Alexander right now. She looked astonished, and I loved it. She nudged Becky who looked at me with wide doe eyes. I waved my fingers and picked up a cup of red punch. I choked it down. Spiked. Of course it is.  
"Onyx?!" One of Trevor's soccer-snob lackeys questioned. I slowly turned towards him, it was Chris. He had soft, scraggly black hair and long eyelashes. He was a bit cuter than Trevor in my opinion, but still as obnoxious.  
"Yesss?" I asked, waiting for a reaction. Behind Chris was three more soccer-snobs. Blake, James, and Taylor. I waved to all of them as well. I put my arms behind me and held them there. I could do this. I could act normal, I think.  
"You look..." He started.  
"hot!" James piped up, and they started punching each other. I silently rolled my eyes and put on a fake smile.  
"Well, thanks boys. Listen, if you see Trevor, don't tell him i'm here. It's a surprise." I winked.  
"Alright." Chris half-smiled, and looked me up and down. As I walked away I heard them say, "Okay, the plan may not work now, she looks hot...ter than usual."  
"I don't want the plan to work. We can keep her all we want." Blake smiled. I whipped around to face them, and they shut up instantly, pretending to inspect their red cups.  
After an hour, things were getting more and more boring. People smoked off to the sides, drank, and just partied. It was so...boring. So normal. Is this what happens at normie parties? If so, i'm not very impressed. I swished my black fingernails in my spiked punch and threw it on the ground. Not many people recognized me, and Trevor still wasn't to be found. Until now. Trevor emerged from the house, apparently he was there the whole time. I straightened my corset, and reapplied my Lime Crime. I stood right in front of him, he was high-fiving everyone he saw. And his blonde hair looked freshly-washed. He had on a red plaid shirt, and black jeans. I have no idea if it's the way i'm dressed, or the foundation seeping into my face, but he looked...cute, I guess. For him.  
I slowly moved towards him, he was talking to Taylor, "She here?" He asked inspecting his red cup and drank the remaining contents. It was most likely not spiked, because he had to take drug and alcohol tests to play soccer.  
"In a way." Taylor smirked, giving his soccer friends a look.  
"What?" Trevor hissed, "Is she here or not?" They pointed in my direction. This was my chance. I pretended not to notice them so I quickly turned around so my back was towards them, and stretched my hands over my head.  
I heard nothing from Trevor's section. I turned around to see if he was still there. And he was, he just didn't believe it was me. I laughed a little to myself and made my way over to him. I stopped when I noticed a figure in the woods, then it disappeared. Jagger. I huffed and looked at Trevor, who was discussing with his soccer buddies, the figure now gone. It wasn't safe for these people. Granted, I didn't care a great deal about any of them, doesn't mean I want to see them murdered by a hot psychopath. I glanced at Trevor then at the woods, and back. I grumbled to myself as I headed off towards the woods to take care of this...or at least talk to him.

In the woods, it was actually warmer than the yard. Maybe it's because everyone's icy glares couldn't penetrate the thick leaves. I'm pretty sure no one saw me leave, I went around the front and crossed into the woods from the neighbors back yard. I picked leaves out of my curls and as annoying as they look, these boots are actually pretty warm.  
"Jagger, Jagger, where for art thou Jagger?" I mumbled. I stopped at the back of the hunting trail. It was 10 on a weekend so there were no hunters here, too dark. But, then...what was up the trail? I made my way towards it and stopped with a lurch. It was a man. It was the missing hunter. And he was dead. The rumors had hit hard that a hunter went missing lately at the deer hunting trail and that no one knew where he was. This man had two marks on the side of his neck, he had died from a vampire bite. Another thought hit me when I realized either Alexander or Claude and them did this. And since this man went missing in the middle of the day and Alexander couldn't go out in the day...this was the makings of Claude's group. I opened my mouth to let out a scream at that thought, but then a hand covered my mouth. Wide-eyed, I tried to throw the person off of me, with no luck. He threw me to the ground, and I could feel him close to my neck. He breathed heavily upon it. I had no other choice but to bite down, hard, on the offenders hand. I hesitated, then proceeded.  
"OW! What the hell?!" A familiar voice said. It wasn't Jagger. It was-  
"Claude?!" I screeched.  
And it was. Standing above me was Claude, and he had a crazed look in his eyes.


	14. I Write Sins, Not Tragedies

"Who-? Onyx?!" He asked, then I remembered my new makeover.  
"Er, yes! Wh-why are you out here-" Wait, did he just, did he just try to BITE me?! I shuffled backwards on the cold ground and stared at him hard. His hand was bleeding. He just breathed heavily and gave me a knowing look.  
"Claude, did you just...!" I felt the spot on my neck where he had been, I removed my hand and sure enough, there was blood. "CLAUDE!" I yelled, "Why did you do that!?" My head spun with confusion.  
"I didn't know it was you." He said simply, still catching his breath.  
"Th-that makes it worse!" I sputtered, astonished. He slowly stood up and walked towards me, I retreated.  
"Why are you dressed like that, you look so plain." was all he said. I couldn't believe he was turning this around on me! "Why does it matter right now! What matters is that you almost killed some innocent person!"

"Innocent?" He chuckled, then I realized what he meant. Every other weekend I kill innocent bar-goers. But they weren't really innocent, were they? "It's not the same!" I yelled in defense. He raised his eyebrows.

"Oh? How so?" He asked darkly. Then I saw it, he wasn't crazy, he was hungry. A vampire, be it a half-vampire, could only live on human for for so long without going insane. I understood, but he didn't need to kill innocent party-goers.

"Look," I started, "I can tell you're hungry. But biting me won't satisfy your hunger." He just peeked at me through his eyelashes, "Are you sure?" He quizzed as he smirked darkly.

I stopped, "Well, I don't think it would." I said nervously.

"I have no idea where Kat and them are." He said, shaking his head and trying to change the subject. He was trying so hard not to pounce on me, and not knowing where Kat is, is a dangerous thing. She has no self-control. She could be killing the whole party right now. I looked up and saw a pained look on Claude's face, I moved to him. "Listen, just do what I do and go to the bar." I said simply. He looked at me, "It's the last choice I have." He muttered.

"Onyx!" Came a voice. I froze. Was that-"Onyx?!" Trevor?! It was. I could see his blonde hair through the branches. I looked up at Claude, and all control was lost from his face. He had a hungry look on his face, as he licked his fangs. I pulled him close to me, "Listen. You go away from here, alright? Don't eat him, he'll taste...bitter or something. Just go to the bar and just...wait there." He smirked, which meant he would be there. As he walked away he said in a quiet voice, "You still look really stupid," I smiled at that compliment, "but don't worry Onyx, you still look delicious to me."  
and with that, I dropped my smile.

"What do you want?" I asked meanly, pushing through the branches directly at Trevor.

"Woah!" He swayed. Okay, so he obviously was drunk, I could tell that right away.

"What do you want?" I asked directly. He just stood there and smirked, the moonlight hitting his honey-blonde hair. I rolled my eyes and started to walk away.

He caught my arm, "What are you playing at?" He asked.

"Excuse me?" I hissed, yanking my arm free.

"I don't get you. First you act all uninterested in me, then you beat me up, and now you show up to my party like this." He gestured towards my ensemble.

"Don't flatter yourself. I just did this to prove a point."

"What might that be?" He raised an eyebrow.

"That I have you wrapped around my finger." I squinted. Trevor froze there for a while. I thought that he would tackle me or something like that, but instead he grabbed me and pinned me up against a tree. I winced. I could smell the alcohol on his breath, and there was a lot. I almost got free when he smiled and before I knew it, his lips were pressed on mine. I blinked, wide eyed, as I realized what was going on. I gripped onto Trevor's plaid shirt and tried to push him away, but I...just didn't. His lips were warm, unlike any vampire. It shocked me for a second. My eyelids fluttered closed until my mind screeched, "ONYX, THIS IS TREVOR! UM, EW, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"  
And with that thought, I pushed him away as hard as I could without breaking him in half. I wiped off my mouth and looked over at him in shock. He just leaned against a tree, swaying slightly.

"What is WRONG with you?!" I yelled, he just stood there. I was beyond mad. He kissed me, without my consent, and worst of all, Raven didn't even see it!

I heard a gasp to my left. My head whipped around and I saw black hair run the opposite way, back to the party.

Okay, scratch that, Raven was possibly here.

Trevor looked over at me and smirked, I was infuriated.

"Not exactly my revenge plan, but it'll do for now, I just get lucky I guess." He snickered, "You may have me wrapped around you finger, but I have the power to turn everyone against you." He said steadily.

"We'll see about that." I replied back instantly, my arms over my chest. Trevor just rolled his eyes, and stumbled back to his party. I followed silently behind, and when he reached the edge, I just went with my instinct.

"Trevor." I said, and whipped him around and kicked him where it hurts. Well, for guys anyways, I suppose. He just fell to the ground in response. "Hmm." I smiled, and walked away. I have no idea why it was so easy to hurt him and get away with it, maybe because I know he'll come crawling back to me. I have that effect on mortals I guess.

I yelled back to him so everyone can hear, "And next time you invite ME to your party, at least have the decency to ask me before you try to take advantage of me in the woods!" I heard a few snickers, and Trevor was just rolling on the ground with a few of his soccer friends (they were trying to stifle a laugh) around him. I picked up my jacket, looked around, no Raven, and left. My plan had worked on Raven, but now I felt terrible for some reason.

The next day at school was a lazy day for me. I left the curls in my hair but wiped off the foundation and was back to my naturally pale self. I wore black liquid leggings, an over-sized Black Butler shirt that I had torn up myself, and my leather jacket. And my signature crosses and cat bell. I called it lazy-chic.

As I was applying my liquid eyeliner in my golden compact mirror, I sighed. What would I do today? Would Claude be there? Would Raven? And how would I react to Trevor and Kat. I wish I was psychic. I sat on my bed and thought about even going to school. I don't need to go to school since I was taught everything in Romania the first 7 years of my life. But stupid me wanted a "normal" school experience. Ha. Just then Anarchy climbed on my bed, and in her mouth was a white envelope with my family's crest stamped into the red wax sealing it shut. My heart leapt. Romania. I shivered as I slowly unsealed the envelope. I let the envelope fall to the floor, and I slowly unfolded the letter.

"Dear Onyx,

Relax. It's Derek." I sighed a huge sigh of relief, "I had this stationary left over from Romania and it's all I had. I'm writing to let you know that I'm fine and in the next town over, the one you call Hipsterville. I'm staying in a hotel downtown, next to the Coffin Club. I've been there a few times, and there's this white-haired kid asking for you." I caught my breath as I thought of Jagger talking to my brother. Derek doesn't know a thing about Jagger. I could see Jagger asking for me, smirking as he said my name, I read on.

"He heard my last name when I was called up to the bar. He immediately asked if I knew you, I said yes. But I didn't tell him where you were, because he seems shady to me, I got that feeling, you know which one I'm talking about. I left after talking to him, because something felt odd. His name is Jagger. I'm going to hang out with him tomorrow, he wanted to see me again. I'm just letting you know in case you know him, and I'm letting you know that I'm safe, alright? Also, mom called me and said she has a surprise for you coming soon. Just...be careful, alright? 'Bye, Onyx.

Sincerely,

Derek

I stared at the letter as it fell from my pale hands to the purple carpet. Mom has a surprise for me? I stared out the window as the frost melted from the grass. Another week and it would be snowing. It was the end of November. What could the surprise be? Her coming home? Could it- wait. Derek is hanging out with Jagger tomorrow! I needed to call him right away. I picked up my cell phone and dialed 1. It immediately sent out a call to Derek. He has no idea what his evil intentions are, and he's pretty bad for a mortal. Some psycho that escaped from prison probably!

"Come on, come on." I paced back and forth. No answer. I let out a frustrated sigh and redialed two more times. After no answer the third time, I threw my phone on my bed. I heard a horn honk, which was my cue that Jamson was outside waiting to take me to school. I stuffed my letter under my bed and raced outside.

I went up to my locker and opened it, threw my books in, and slammed it shut. I could waste no time, I needed to find Claude and check on him. I had forgotten to meet him at the bar, I had felt so bad about Raven I rushed home. I had a bad feeling this morning about him. I turned the corner and there he was, I sighed. He had a normal look on his face, not a crazed one. I smiled to myself and went up to him.

"Hey." I said as happily as I could for a goth girl who was attacked the night before. He just glanced at me and continued to ignore me.

"Claude, what's wrong?" I asked flatly, the feeling was correct.

"So that's it? You don't even know?" He asked harshly. I winced at the tone of his voice. He kept no effort trying to keep it down.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, matching his tone.

"I waited for you for two hours in the bar alley, and you never showed up." he said a little more softly.

"Claude, I-"

"And it was all so you could make out with Soccer-babe in the woods?" He leaned into me and smirked. I stepped back. The look on his face was pure resentment.

"I-It wasn't like that!" I insisted, knowing this would come back to haunt me.

"Then what was it? I know it was to get revenge on Raven. I'm all for that, trust me, but that was just sick. That was Trevor, Onyx."

"Well maybe he kissed me, alright? And maybe that whole time I was out there I didn't want to get revenge or Raven like that! Maybe I wanted to go with you instead but didn't want to get in your way alright?!" I said, stepping up to Claude, "Ah! I don't need this right now!" I said, and stormed off. I ran right into the bathroom and two cheerleaders looked at me like they expected me to leave. I marched up to them and turned the sinks on full blast, so they sprayed everywhere. "Ohmigod, my foundation!" "MY NAILS, MY NAILS ARENT DRRRY!" They exclaimed, and ran out. I hesitated in from of the mirrors, noticing my missing reflection. I highly doubt they noticed, though. I tapped my long black nails on the porcelain sink and thought of my next move. Just then, as I turned around, Kat was the only thing in my view. I backed up and bumped into a big gray trash can. I looked upon her with heated hatred, then she quickly flashed an envelope similar to mine in my face. I stared at it wide-eyed, and grabbed it.

Kat,

I don't know why you did what you did, but it doesn't matter anymore. I'm still incredibly pissed, but I'll get over it. The point is, don't let your friendship with my sister stop just because of your feelings for me. She's going to need you soon, so please just go apologize. I can see in her eyes that she really, really wants to but she's too stubborn. Also, if you care, I'm safe and it's not your fault.

Derek

I stared at the pale letter and re-read it. Stubborn?! How dare he! And what if I don't want to apologize to Kat, huh? What if I don't care that she's the only one that doesn't accuse me of being evil, and understands what it's like to be an outsider. And who cares that Claude hates me now, and Raven thinks I'm in love with Trevor...who cares, right? Oh, forget it. Kat is the person I need right now. I stepped forward to give Kat a apology hug, but I fell back as two arms wrapped around ME. I jolted in surprise to see that Kat was hugging me. She pulled away with a smirk, "I am sorry, Onyx, really." She had the same look on her face that she did getting ready for the dance, "I'll just have to learn to live with my jealousy."  
"Jealousy?" I asked.  
"It doesn't matter right now, what matters is that I'm really, really sorry." She smiled, and I smiled back.  
So, in this disgusting high school bathroom, in the middle of nowhere, Kat and I became friends again.

As Kat and I walked out of the bathroom as if nothing had happened I realized that when Derek came back, we would have to deal with it all again, but it would be a while. As I walked past the rows of lockers, so did Raven. She stopped in front of me, and wouldn't let me through. I moved to the left, and so did she. I moved to the right, so did she. I scoffed and Kat let out a low hiss. Raven just smirked at me, like she knew something I didn't. A small crowd gathered around us. Obviously people wanted to see a Raven/Onyx smack-down. I kinda wanted to, too, but not in front of everyone. If I go out of control, Raven is so dead (literally) and my secret is out. But the way she looked at me was infuriating, her eyes and her stupid smirking. No. You cannot do this right now! I started to walk away when I heard, "So I guess it's official now? You and Trevor, huh?" I froze. It wasn't her best line by far but she knew it would get under my skin. I whipped around to face her, she was in the same spot she was in before. I heard Kat let out a low growl beside me. From the corner of my eye I saw that Claude, Tripp, and Rocco were watching, too. They were looking for Kat and they found her. So was Trevor and his soccer idiots, grinning like they won the lottery. Trevor was loving this attention, and loving it even more that Raven was giving it to her. Becky and Matt were on the sidelines, they both looked worried. "Raven, just stop this. I don't need you right now." I said strongly.  
She faltered, she obviously expected a retort, but she shot back,  
"What's wrong? Too scared to admit your love for the soccer captain in front of everyone?! Just shout it to the rooftops, Onyx!" She threw her hands up, and the crowd laughed. That's it, screw being nice to her. I wanted revenge, or at least her embarrassment. That much I knew I could get.

"Okay, Raven," I started strong, "Since we're being fake right now, let's just pretend that you don't care that Trevor kissed me in the woods, and if it doesn't bother you, why did you have that look on your face of pure betrayal on your face?" I started, not being able to stop, "And how come every time Trevor is around you have to make a 'witty' comment, huh? And that day at the soccer field, I bet YOU were the one who started it, you probably provoked Trevor JUST to get a rise out of him! And if you DON'T care about him, how come in the woods your were looking for Trevor and not me, huh Raven?" I could feel the frustration flow out of me. Raven yelled in pure agitation, "Onyx, shut up, shut up right now! Like you don't-"

I held up my index finger, I wasn't finished...

"And I bet that you also hate that you boyfriend LIES to you, huh?! I bet he hasn't even told you that I LIVE with him in HIS house!" I panted, out of breath. I stared at Raven. The sureness fell from her face. "Yeah! Didn't you ever wonder why I didn't tell you where I live, or invite you over, or you never wondered why Alexander never let you go into the West wing of his house?! I didn't want to tell you to spare your feelings, but now I just don't care!" It all became clear. The gathering crowd was so quiet, I could hear a pencil drop in a classroom. They all stared at me like I was the president giving a formal speech, like they were soaking up my information, and then they burst out with "Ooh's". A few even snickered, while Raven pushed out of the crowd and towards the bathroom, Becky following. I stood there, and now I felt nothing for Raven. Not sorrow, not pity, nothing. Because she brought it on herself, and I don't care. She could have just let me pass in the halls, but no, she had to start something again. Again.

"And by the way," I started , making the crowd one again fall silent, "I didn't kiss him. He kissed me. And that's probably what killed you the most." I smirked and silently walked away, with Kat on my tail.


	15. The Carnival

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!" I bursted into Alexander's room. Onyx had told me that she lived wth Alexander, in his house and he lied to me! Alexander had his headphones in and was painting a picture of a 19th century carriage. I stormed up to him and ripped the his headphones out of his ears.

"Raven!" He exclaimed, whipping around to me. I had frustrated tears in my eyes. Alexander immediately looked alert, "What's wrong? I was just coming to see you-" He started, concerned. His caring tone brought more tears to my eyes.

"You never told me!" I exclaimed.

"Told you what?!" He looked at me like I was insane.

"Why can't I go to the west wing, huh? Tell me now!" I stared into his dark eyes. He faltered, I chuckled darkly, "Exactly." I began to leave. Alexander caught my arm and brought me to him.

"Listen! I couldn't tell you because you would get jealous!"

"HOW DO YOU THINK I FEEL NOW!?" I cried, "I wouldn't have been a month ago because a month ago Onyx was my friend, and if you told me, we might still be! You lied to me Alexander, you promised you would never lie to me ever again!" I burst into sobs and left as quickly as I came, I heard Alexander call for me, but I kept running down down the dark red stairs. I saw a flash of raven hair going into a room and thought of Onyx, but kept going. No way I'd let her see me in this state. I just couldn't be here anymore.

As I flashed down the stairs straight to the front door, I bumped into someone with blue eyes, and dark brown, almost black, hair. I stared up at him and his pale skin and gaped. Who was this, and why was he in Alexander's house? He looked down at me, probably surprised to see a blubbering Goth right when he walked in the door. I looked back up, and Alexander was walking towards me. I scowled and ran out into the night, hoping to steer clear of Jagger, but who cared anymore?

Tonight is the night of the carnival, and me, Kat, Tripp, Rocco, and Claude are all going together because word on the street is that the haunted mansion is built on sacred ground, and that's why they place it there every year. I looked in my gold compact mirror and adjusted my black lipstick and tried to place my false eyelashes on. I decided to be part of the haunted mansion tonight, I mean, might as well scare some kids while I'm on the lookout for old vials. I slipped on my liquid leather mini-skirt, torn fishnets, signature black boots, and a black bone corset with black mesh sleeves. It would be cold tonight, but that didn't affect me. I put on pounds of crosses, and left off my spike bracelets, but I put on my black cat bell necklace and held it affectionately. After letting my hair fall loose, I started out the door and said goodbye to Jameson and told him I didn't need a ride, that I would walk. I believe that Alexander is going tonight, that he and Raven are still going, because someone is after Raven and Alexander still feels like he needs to "protect" her. I silently walked alone the parks path staring at the empty trees. It feels as if it was just last month the park was lined with green foliage. Oh yeah, because it was. It felt like so long ago I had come here but it was only a month! I stopped as Kat appeared in front of me with a red and black liquid mini-dress and her fishnets and black boots. She had devil horns atop her head and wore bright red lipstick and black cat-liner.

"Ready?" I smirked as the rest of the gang appeared from the trees that kept their leaves in the winter. We all made our way towards the marquee lights that read "Carnival" and I couldn't help but feel excited, since this was my first carnival! Claude wore his black jacket with the spikes over a white torn-t-shirt that read, "Hot as Hell". I would have to make a note to borrow that shirt. I chewed on my piercings as I walked through the entrance of the carnival after I had paid. There were people everywhere, children, teens, parents, mascots. There were roller coasters and a Ferris wheel, food stands, spinning rides, and kiddie rides, and carnival games everywhere. It was warm from all the humans body heat, being so close together. And to my right was a Fun-House and straight back in the dark section of the carnival was the Haunted Mansion.

Kat told me that her and Rocco were going to go split up and take a look around. Oddly, Tripp volunteered to go with them, and they glanced at me and quickly agreed. I stood there, not understanding, then they were gone. Claude looked equally as confused, perhaps even more. He was focused on finding the vials.

"Why do you want to be a full vampire?" I asked suddenly, before I could stop myself. I stopped walking and looked up at him.

"Well, why do you?" He asked back.

"It's different with me, I-I need to be a full vampire."

"That's not really a reason." He mumbled, picking up a white ball from a basket and threw it at a tower of bottles. They instantly fell down, and I gaped at them, as did the Carnie, who obviously thought his carnival game was un-winnable.

Claude smirked and picked up a stuffed bat with a red bow on its head, "Ah, here you are. How cliche of me." I accepted the gift with a hug, and smiled back at Claude. No one had ever actually won anything for me!

"Did you pay for that?!" The Carnie yelled, and Claude and I looked at each other and ran away, laughing. Once we were a safe distance away from the game station, I tried to stop laughing and looked at Claude expectantly.

"What?" He asked, looking down at me.

"Are you going to tell me where you learned that?" I smiled, impressed. I knew those things were basically un-winnable.

"They had carnivals in Romania, all the time, you pick up a few things when you're able to stay there day and night. What, you've never been to one?" He asked, curiously.

I avoided his gaze and held the bat closer, "No, I wasn't allowed."

"Well, then I'm honored." He grinned. I looked at him. How could this person be the same person who attacked me in the woods, who threatened to kill Becky, who yelled at me in the hallway, be the same guy who apologized to ME right after school for being so naïve and judgmental. How? They were so different, like HE was the one with split personalities. But nevertheless, I loved both moods.

Claude just looked at me with a slight smile, "You're psycho." He laughed, and pulled me towards the Ferris wheel, "Let's see if we can find Alexander. We'll never find him on our feet." I paused and stuttered, but in the end, the music and chatter of people were too loud for him to hear me. As we hopped right on, as we were the first in line, I clung to the railing for dear life. I prayed Claude wouldn't notice. The Ferris wheel whirred to life, jerking our seat back and forth, Claude was sitting on one foot, to make him even taller and hang over the edge. I almost puked just looking at him, then we lurched to a stop at the top and I clung to Claude and squeezed my eyes shut. I knew that I looked like a typical girl, but heights just made me think of the past, and the past was not something I could think of right now.  
"No way." I could hear a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Please don't talk about it." I murmured, knowing what was coming next.

"You're, you're...afraid of heights?!" He asked, now fully amused.  
Great.

"Listen, I've never liked heights, and you're not helping!" I screamed as he gently rocked the cart back and forth. I clung tighter to his white shirt, purposely clawing at his skin, he yelped. I snickered and went back to clinging to the railing, and he was still laughing.

"Like you're not afraid of anything!" I growled.

"You're right, I'm not." He smirked, laying back.

"Yeah right, everyone's afraid of something, and I'll find out what it is." I breathed as we eased back to the ground. I scrambled back onto the ground and breathed heavily.  
"Oh, we forgot to look for Alexander." I said dumbly.

"You stay here, and I'll go back up alone."

After another 10 minutes, Claude came back down. "I saw a couple dressed in all black by the fun house." He said, "lets go." We moved swiftly to the fun house, along the way, I replayed his apology in my mind. I was walking home when he had come up behind me, out of breath, and said, "Listen, I'm sorry, alright? I don't usually apologize to people unless I really messed up, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like I did. Can we just...focus on finding the vials?" The whole time he couldn't look at me and he sounded sheepish, so I knew he really was sorry. I told him I forgive him on one condition and he asked me what and I replied, "You never leave me alone in the woods with Trevor, ever again." He complied immediately.

As we reached the fun house, I saw something that made me sick. Raven and Alexander laughing together like nothing ever happened, then their expressions changed immediately as they saw two figures run into the fun house, and they followed. "You go in that entrance, and I'll go in this one." I said, and ran into the one that Raven ran into. As soon as I entered the room, Raven moved to the next. It was a room where everything was pure checkerboard. It made my head hurt, and I followed Raven. This time she was gone and there were two doors, I had to choose one. I chose the one on the left and I entered a room which was pitch dark and a clown laughed.  
I froze where I stood because I felt a presence with me. "Claude?" I begged, I only heard a girlish laugh, "Raven?!" I said, agitated. Slowly the lights paused at a dim level, and then I saw it, the walls weren't doors, it was a room of mirrors. And the girl in front of me was not Raven, not close. It was a pixie like girl with cotton white hair, a white lolita dress, a Scare Bear plush hanging off her belt, and her face was pale with indigo eye shadow and cotton candy lips. She had on black combat boots, and she looked angry and amused. A realization hit me as I looked around the mirrors, I had to leave before she noticed I wasn't reflecting. But there was another thing we had in common besides out style, neither of us did.

Her eyes widened when the thought hit her, and I ran to get out of there. But where do I go?! Whoever this was, wasn't human, she even looked familiar. Wait a second, she looks like...Jagger! The one blue eye matched perfectly and their facial features were even similar. A bad feeling hit my stomach, and as I ran to what I thought was a exit, Claude caught me and Raven and Alexander came through the other door.  
"We have to leave, now!"  
I pleaded Claude, who just protectively held onto me as he looked at Alexander, who met his gaze and bared his fangs. Raven looked at me with shock, then at Claude. I didn't understand why she was so shocked, I hang out with him all the time. Meanwhile, Luna looked at all of us, then her eyes landed on Raven's reflection and her reflection alone, and her pale face grew red with rage. She immediately fled the room, knowing exactly where to go. That left me, Claude, Alexander, and Raven. I looked up expectantly at Claude to make a big scene at Alexander, seeing that this was his chance, who just gave Alexander and evil look and walked out the way he came. I looked at Raven one last time, and she looked paler than usual, like she was almost...worried.

Outside in the fresh air, I saw the pale pixie girl walk away with Trevor! "Look!" I cried and pointed at them, Claude turned his head and saw them walk towards the haunted mansion with Jagger right beside Trevor!

"Onyx, what's wrong?" Claude asked, confused.

"We need to follow them." I said surely.

"Why, who are they?"

"I just... have a feeling."

"Onyx, do you know them?" Claude asked, pulling me back. I sighed, "They're just evil." I whispered, and lunged towards the mansion as the couple entered the haunted facility. I didn't look back to see if Claude was following me, I just jumped in front of line, and walked in. This mansion was different, it was like the fun house, but not as confusing, just more scary. Given there were secret passages and scary noises, but it wasn't as hard to get out of, just a lot less lighted. After what I had seen in the fun house mirrors, or what I didn't see, I needed to find them. I had a special love for twins, but not evil vampire twins who could ruin my whole plan. He knows where I live, and he wants revenge for Alexander. I turned a corner and bumped into Trevor, who recoiled.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, seeing him in the dim.

"Freak!?" He yelled shocked, "I'm on a date, excuse me." He sounded like he actually thought I was jealous.

"Get over yourself, Trevor. I was asking if you had seen anyone...unusual around here." I hinted.

"You mean besides you?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Ha-ha. No. I mean like kinda tall, piercings, tattoos, light hair, boy." I said, making gestures.

"You mean that kid you hang out with? No." He sounded defensive, trying to push past me.

"What, Claude? No, he's outside, I mean, this kid has blue and green eyes and red-tipped hair." I said, remembering the distinct differences.

"Oh, you mean Jagger? He's here somewhere."

So Trevor did know who he was, and Jagger wasn't just stalking him. I shuddered, "And who was that girl?"

As soon as I said that, as if she was watching, she appeared out of no where, linking her hands around Trevor's arm. I stepped back, she appeared so quickly.

"You mean me?" She asked in a voice that matched her looks. Graceful, yet vibrant. "I'm Luna." She said with a slight threatening sound in her voice, "Jagger's twin sister."

As soon as those words left her mouth, I knew she was no good, just like Jagger. And as if reading my mind, Claude came in at my time of need. "What the hell, Onyx, stop running off like that." He said and looked at me then at Trevor. Luna looked up at Claude like she was a kid in a candy store, then smirked at me. What in the world is going on? I was a bit taller than Luna with my boots on, but not as tall as Trevor and Claude. I tried to see over their heads for any lurking Jagger's with no luck.  
"Well, if that's all you wanted to bug me about, I'll be going." Trevor rolled his eyes, and strolled away with Luna, who I noticed turned back to me and Claude.

"What was that all about?" Claude asked, tossing my stuffed bat in the air. I caught her and grabbed Claude's wrist, "Listen, she's bad." I gestured towards the pixie.

"Who, the fairy?" He contorted his face in confusion, "She doesn't look like she could hurt anything."

"Yeah, maybe if she was a human." I muttered.

"What?" He asked, darkly.

"Listen, in the hall of mirrors, she didn't show up...but Raven and Trevor did."

"So that means that they could have seen us without reflections, too?" He realized, grimly. I had never thought of that, what if they did? I could not have Raven finding out about my secret. Is that why Raven looked so shocked at me, or was it simply that there was yet another goth in our town, or perhaps she saw that Luna had no reflection as well? I tried to distract myself from any thoughts that would freak me out.

"Y-you're missing the point! She's a vampire, and she's an evil one, too!"

"How do you know?" Was all he said.

I was getting tired of all his questions, "Because she rolled her eyes at me and talked down to me and just made me feel like I was nothing. She just had an evil vibe to her," I said trying to make sense, "And it doesn't help that she's Jagger's sister." I mumbled to myself as two little kids pushed past me.

"What?" He asked.

"N-nothing." I stuttered quickly, I didn't want Claude to know about Jagger until I found more out about him first. But for now, I knew Luna was no good, I just knew it. "What now?" Claude asked, "This place is as about as buried on an ancient burial ground as a Wal-Mart." He muttered, indicating that this place would be the last place to contain hidden vails. "You already checked?" I asked, in which he replied with a nod. It hurt that he had the time to check on the history of a carnival haunted mansion, and he didn't check on me first, especially since I ran away so quickly.

"Well," I started, "We could always...just have fun." I shrugged, insisting that since we were already here we might as well stay. "Well, alright." He said, half smiling as he lead me through a black door into a room full of portraits of sadistic clowns. Claude said, "Let's turn around, there's another door over here." I sighed, he was right, this was probably a dead en-

I stopped as a realization hit me, "Claude," I started, masking a smile, "Are you scared...of clowns?"  
I smirked, trying not to laugh. He hesitated then finally said, "It's not really clowns I'm scared of...okay yeah, it is. Bad experience, don't really want to go through it again. We're leaving."

"A bad experience...with a clown?" I said, not believing it.

"Yes, a clown, now can we leave?" He said, persistent, "Why are you so scared of heights, huh?"

I stopped laughing, "Don't really want to talk about it." I insisted and walked out into the 'cold' night. I heard him mumble "Exactly." behind me. Afar I could see Raven and Alexander playing a shooting game, but I didn't care anymore. Well, tonight anyways, I was emotionally drained for one evening.

"I'm going to go find Tripp and them, alright?" Claude said, as he walked away.

"Alright, I'll be..somewhere." I responded as I stood alone.

As I passed the game stations, I spotted a game that I've always wanted to try, it was a game where you squirted water until the balloon filled up and popped. I jumped in line, too anxious. As I took my seat at the water gun, and who would come sit next to me, But Trevor Mitchell himself. And behind him was Luna. I scooted away as far as I could, but he followed, "Uch." I mumbled through my black lips.

"Hey, Freak." He said simply as we waited for more patrons. I heard Luna giggle behind him, as if she wasn't a freak, too. She wasn't human, either. I just rolled my eyes at them both and looked ahead, there was a unicorn hanging on the ceiling and I wanted it bad. Trevor noticed it, too, "Luna, do you think you'd want the unicorn?" He said with a smirk on his lips. She just giggled and said, "Uh-huh."

"Where's your brother, Luna?" I asked nonchalantly looking straight ahead, "Out for a bite?" I hoped she would catch my hint, which she did, because she stopped moving altogether.

"Ready, Soccer-babe?" I said as the Carnie called ready.

"You bet, Freak-Girl." He said, and as the Carnie called go, we spent no time joking around. We went straight for the middle of our targets, our balloon's going the exact same speed, we couldn't tell who won, until both of ours popped at the same time.

"We have a tie!" The Carnie called, amused, "What would you like?" He asked directly to Luna, knowing it was for her. She glanced at me then pointed at MY purple unicorn! MINE! "That, please." She said with a voice dripping sweetness, it made me sick. I heard Trevor laughing at me, like he thought it was funny. Of course he did. Luna and Trevor both pissed me off so much.

"And you?" He asked with the same smile on his face.

"Oh, this will be more than enough." I said, as I turned the water-squirter with my index finger slowly as the Carnie retrieved the unicorn for Luna.

I turned it until it was pointed directly at Trevor. Before he could tell what I was doing, it was too late. He widened his eyes as I pushed the red button with all my might, squirting mostly Trevor, but Luna got in it too. She shrieked and growled in my face. I just smiled sweetly at her as I blew my new best friend a kiss. I stuck my tongue out at Trevor and he just looked at me with rage and escorted Luna to a big-top tent. I smiled and graciously received my purple unicorn. Did Trevor really not know me well enough that I was going to make his life a living Hell?  
"Onyx!" Kat called, eating pink cotton candy, "who was that pastel chick? She was soaked from head to toe." She said, with Tripp and Claude shortly behind her. Rocco was no where to be found, probably guarding their coffins.  
"That's...this kids twin sister. She's pretty bad, and she was here with Trevor," I explained, "And Trevor provoked me again so I had a little fun with the water squirters." I shrugged, knowing there was so much more to the story. Kat said, "She look's like she would be stuck-up."  
"You have no idea." I said. My phone blared out "But It's Better If You Do" and I looked at the ID. It was Derek, and I immediately pushed 'Accept' and held it up to my ear, "Hello, Derek!?" I shouted, and Kat turned away from me when she heard his name, I was actually thankful because I had no idea what this was about.  
"Onyx?!" He shouted, house music blaring in the back, he was at a club, "that's better." He said, moving outdoors with the sound fading.  
"What's this about?!" I asked, relieved he was okay.  
"Where are you?" He asked confused, he could hear the carnival music.  
"At the carnival." I said happily.  
"Oh, that was tonight! Anyway this is major, mom told me she's coming home to talk about the surprise!"  
"No way." I said, I didn't need her tonight, or any other night.  
"Yes, and when I'm not there, she's gonna be pissed and ship me back to Romania, and I cannot go back, you need to cover for me!" He pleaded.  
"I will, I-I promise. I'll call you when she tells me the surprise."  
"Thank you so much Onyx!" He said, and I heard click on the other end. 'Call Ended' flashed on my screen and I stuffed it back into my skirt pocket. I sighed heavily and made my way back home, I needed a lot of time to prepare my excuse.  
"Where are you going?" Kat called to me.  
"I have to go home, family meeting!"  
"Alright! I'll tell them you left!"  
"Thank you!" I said, and headed for home.


	16. Surprise, Surprise

I prayed that when I got home, mom wouldn't. I slowed my run to a slow walk when I got to my street. What could the surprise be? I felt my stomach turn, whenever my mother had "good" surprises to tell me, they were always bad. But then again, her last surprise was coming to America. I suppose that's a good thing. I paused as I heard a rustle from behind me. I whipped around and stared at the pine tree that held its needle. Was it Jagger? Luna? Or worse, was it-

A rabbit. A rabbit jumped out of the tree and hopped over my feet. I snickered at my paranoid self, and turned around. Except this time, Jagger was in front of me.

I screamed and he placed his cold, pale hand over my black mouth. I removed it quickly.

"What do you want?!" I yelled, backing up. He just moved closer.

"Onyx, right?" He tilted his head, very funny.

"Haha, what do you want?"

"You." He said simply, sending chills down my spine.

"What?" I asked.

"Luna tells me you're with that guy. That Claude kid."

"And?!" I snapped.

"It'd be a shame if something...happened to him." He said, leaning into me.

I laughed inside but kept a straight-face outside, "Like you could do anything to him." I rolled my eyes.

"Oh Onyx, so naïve." He chuckled darkly, "Perhaps I can't hurt him myself...but you can." He grinned a wicked grin.

"What are you talking about?" I began to doubt.

"I know what you are," He whispered, "I know you're of a higher power." I felt the chills again.

"Wh-what are you-" I searched around for an escape.

"And I know just how you work." He said swiftly, revealing a dark red book with a gold symbol of the front. My family crest, and that was my family's who genealogy. In other words, a guide book.

"Where did you get that." I said in a low growl.

"You don't worry your pretty little head about it, what matters is, I know how to work you like a machine."

"You don't know me!" I cried.

"So you aren't what your whole family claims you to be? A monster." He emphasized the word 'monster'. It brought tears to my eyes, frustrated tears.

"Jagger, you would never know what it's like to be the only outcast in your whole family!" I cried, gripping the book. But he held on, too.

He raised his eyebrows, "Oh yeah? Try me." He smirked. I thought that I could take this book and run, as easy as I came. But...he was really strong. I stared deep into his blue and green eyes. He stared back, matching my gaze. Something was wrong, here. Something really wrong.

"Well?" He asked expectantly. I had no idea what to say, "Why do you hate Alexander so much?" Was all that came out.

"What?" He faltered, releasing the grip on the book a little.

"Why?" I whispered.

"Why?! He made my life a living hell! He left my sister at the alter basically and ran away to a 'better life' here in America! That's what I hate him."

Something confused me, "Why is your sister's problem, _your _problem." I let the book slip from my grip.

"Don't you have any brothers or sister?"

"Well, yeah." I considered.

"How would you feel if they were up and left when they needed that person the most?!"

I was getting mad that he thought he knew me and my feelings when the only other time he met me was when he tried to violate me in his underground bedroom!  
"No offense Jagger, but I feel like Luna used Alexander for her own selfish game. And I would have used her too." I said feigning sorriness.  
I then grabbed the book and ran all the way home. No way Jagger knew me, not in a million years! I could hear Jagger muttering something behind me, something about Derek, then retreat into the bushes as if he had heard someone call his name. I paused and breathed hard as I looked for him, then entered my front gate. Tonight I would get a surprise I didn't need.

* * *

As I entered the front door, I gaped at the sight I saw. Jameson was sitting with a chick in all (and I mean ALL) white sitting at the big oak table. Alexander and Raven sat there too, although at opposite sides of the table. How could they be getting along so great?!

"Ah, Raven!" Jameson said happily, "Won't you join us!"

"Er, I can't—I have a stomach bug. It's going around school." I mumbled.

"It is?" Raven asked, wrinkling her nose, "I haven't heard of it."

"Maybe if you actually _attended _school." I said through clenched teeth. She stuck out her tongue. I refrained from reaching over Alexander and pulling it out.

"This is Ruby." Jameson introduced us with urgency, "She's from the traveling agency."

"Nice to meet you." I said, taking in her white on white on white outfit.

"My, how come I've never heard of you! Are you one of Raven's friends?" She questioned, looking over my black on black on black ensemble. I glanced at Raven who was looking at me, then she quickly turned her head.

"Er,"

"No." Raven said flatly.

"Oh." Ruby got the hint, and continued eating whatever kind of meat it was.

On the table was another place setting, "Why did you set me a place? You didn't know I was coming-" The food was even half-eaten.

"Oh, Raven, that's right! This isn't for you. You have someone waiting for you in your room!" He smiled, like I knew exactly who it was.

_Derek?!_

I didn't stay to hear anymore, I ran straight to my oak bedroom door. What would we talk about? What has he been doing, did he meet anyone? Was she like Kat in any way? I also wondered what I would tell mommy-dearest when she got home where Derek was. Away on vacation? Somewhere in a cave? The possibility were endless!

I burst through my door and into my black room. It took my eyes a minute to adjust to the light that had been turned on, "Derek?" I asked happily.

"My, Onyx, you sure have enough black clothes, huh?" Said a familiar sweet, melodic voice that brought tears to my eyes. On my bed, sitting in a silky black dress, was a girl. A girl in no more that her late 20's, and she was petting Anarchy. Anarchy happily purred away.

"What can I get you for your birthday, it seems she already gave you everything!" She chirped.

It wasn't Derek. And it wasn't who I thought Derek was talking about coming to see me. Not in the slightest. Because this girl, was my mom.  
My _real _mom.


	17. Mommy Dearest

"Why do I have to go?!" I cried, flinging my arms about. I fell on the cold stone floors of my dining hall in my home. Was it really my home?

"Because! I said so, and you will do as I say!" She yelled back with nothing but pure anger.

"Why...why do you hate me?" I whispered as she held onto my wrist with brute force.

"Sweet Angel, I don't hate you. Your mother hates you, she's the one who let you live after you were born. It's nothing but your mother and God's fault."

I let those words sink in. Those words would fuel my anger for the next 7 years of my life. This woman in front of me was not my mother. She had blonde hair and hazel eyes. Her face wasn't pale like my moms, it was the color of sand. My mother's hair was the color of the night sky and her eyes were stars. Her skin was like the first snow fall of the winter. But I didn't know any better, I was 9. And when I was told that my mother, my real mother, hated me by the only person I ever had, I believed her. So as I grew up in the hands of my guardian, whom I've come to despise, while Derek got along great with my real mom.

"So, I have to go?" The 9-year-old me sniffled.

"Yes, love, you have to. It's your brothers 13th birthday, you must go." She said as if she was talking to a table.

"But he doesn't really age, does he?" I asked, knowing at my young age that full vampires just grow well into their teens, but never really age, "Because he's a monster like me?" I only had pure curiosity in my voice. I felt a sting along my cheek, my head turned. I looked back at my Guardian who's hand was now hanging in the air.

"You shall NEVER refer to sweet Derek in that way! You're the only monster here, ALRIGHT?! Do you understand me!"

I stared at her with shock. I believe this is when I realized that I had no one, or at least I thought at the time. When she struck me, I knew that I didn't even have someone to look over me, and that she was evil too. I had no idea I wasn't supposed to call him a monster, that's all I had been referred to by my elders for ages, all except my grandmother until she died. From that moment on, I was no longer the fun loving little kid that played with all the maids (who didn't no we were vampires, so they liked me), to a brooding little girl who liked dark things, and scary music, and pierced boys. Well, while I was ten I just liked the first two. The point is, when I realized that she hated me too, and that my mother hated me, I rarely spoke, and I never liked anyone in my family, with exception of few. Derek was not one of them. In fact, until I was twelve, I hated him with all my passion. I thought that if he had been the first born girl, it would be him living in secrecy, not me. I was also insanely jealous of all the affection he got, even from my guardian. Who by the way is named Claire.

Forward to three months ago. Picture me sitting in my dungeon-like bedroom in the basement of the castle. Black and purple everywhere, posters, spikes, basically my room now but in a stone basement. I get called up to the main floor dining room. I haven't seen my mother in two years, she had been taken away because the Vampire Hunters here had been getting too strong. They were after the most precious of Vampires, aka my mother. My mother possessed powers no other vampire in the world could. Well, at least in Romania. Anyway, I had been called up to the dining room, I dreaded the news that my mother was back. I see a table full of my family, I falter, my combat boots scuffing up the stone floor. I secretly smirked at the black mark on the pristine floor.

"What is this?" I said in a low voice, it had been a while since I could talk in front of everyone at once. They looked surprised at how open I was.

"Oh, so she can speak?" Aunt Arabella teased, but I knew she meant it. At the time I just stared at the ground.

"Onyx," Claire started turning back to the elders at the big oak table, "We've discussed this, and it seems that the Hunters are closing in on your mom, and soon it will be you." She stopped to let the information sink in, I just stood there. She obviously didn't like my reaction, so she began again, "Onyx, did you understand me? They're coming for you soon." She said sternly. I lazily took the headphones from my ears and the room was instantly filled with Marilyn Manson. "And?" I said, not comprehending why I should care, "Oh, lemme, guess, because they'll be coming after Derek then, right?" I laughed darkly as my elders looked at me with surprise. I heard one of them say, "Is she transforming?" If only. Then I would have the nerve to leave without asking permission.

"Onyx, you listen to me! Never talk like that about him, I said or-"

"Or what, you'll hit me again?" I replied flatly. Claire looked up at me surprised, like I wasn't supposed to mention that she hit me.

"Did she say—she struck the child?" My uncle asked. They all started talking.

"The child is mad! This trip is much needed for her!" Claire said quickly.

"Trip?" I caught the word as it left her mouth, "What trip?" I asked cautiously.

Claire regained composure as she smoothed out her blonde hair and twisted her diamond studs that I'm sure were my mothers. "Onyx, as I was saying before you crudely interrupted me, I believe that it would be better if you..stayed with some old friends of your mothers in Romania."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing! Was she serious, did she really trust me to go without her?

"Thank you Claire!" I said jumping up and actually hugging her, "You won't regret letting me go!"

"Of course not silly child," She started, startled, "Because I'm going, too."

"Oh." I released her immediately.

"And so is Derek." She smiled thrilled.

"oh." At this time, I loved Derek because we finally got along after what had happened, but I wanted to leave Romania alone. With no one else but me. I wanted to leave this place I was forced to call "home."

"In three months time."

By this point I had thanked my family and walked back downstairs into my room. Outside the window at ground level, I could see a few teenagers my age walk to school. They stopped and pointed at my colossal-sized house and I waved, but they couldn't see me.

"Idiots." I mumbled as I replaced the headphone in my ear and drug a black train case out from underneath my bed, and began pulling out my "secret" clothes from it. By secret clothes I meant the ones that Claire forbid me to wear because they drew attention to me. Leather, chains, studs, fishnets, everything that I wear now, wasn't allowed. Did that stop me from ordering online and "conveniently" finding the boxes on the front steps? No. What I wore at that time was itchy skirts and boring long sleeved tops. She wouldn't even let me wear corsets! But that didn't apply to her as she left the house every night in even shorter skirts than I owned.  
"Mom?" I mumbled again as she just sat on my bed. She looked so weak. I remembered her as a strong woman who never let anything get under her skin. But that was two years ago, and who knows where she's been.

"Onyx." She smiled, and gracefully glided up an enveloped me in a hug. I stood there as she put her arms around me tighter and tighter. But then I remembered, she left me stranded with Claire. And I never really heard from my mother say that I wasn't a monster. I pushed her away gently.

"Look at you, you look so different."

"Yeah, that's what happens when you leave your own child abandoned." I responded stiffly.

My mom recoiled and stepped back, "Onyx, listen, I'm sorry." She said quickly. I just stared at her as she stuttered for her words. "You look pale. You need food." I said dryly.

She didn't argue. Mom was quiet when she was weak, like me. Once she got someone's blood into her system, then she'd be up for a real fight.

"But Onyx, I can't run on animals. You know that." She responded dizzily, sitting back down.

"Of course I know that." I said, pulling her up and out my bedroom door quickly.

"Wh-what are you doing?" She stuttered, unsure.

"Just be quiet and follow me." I still had a hold on her, then remembered, "Those people downstairs didn't say anything to you did they?"

"What people?"

"The goth chick, mostly."

"When I got here, the old man and young looking boy got was here, I ate with them. They were surprised that I came and not Claire."

I shuddered at her name, "Alright."

As I finally reached the bottom of the stairs with my mother I heard someone walk out of the bathroom to the hallway where I stood. It was Raven.

"Who's this?" She asked, actually curious.

"This is my mother, Veronika." I held her hand tightly. Finally, I could say my mothers name, even though it didn't sound right coming out of my mouth.

I had naturally told Raven about my mother, but I just told her that she left me, not that she went into hiding and rejected me as her own.

Raven just stood there with me for what seemed like forever, looking between me and mom, "Oh." She said quietly and walked back to Alexander.  
My mom slumped in her seat as I pulled into the bar parking lot. I borrowed Derek's car, since he didn't take it, as it would raise suspicion.

"What are you doing, Onyx?" My mom scolded. I rolled my eyes, now she decided to be the responsible one? Besides, she'll be thanking me in half an hour.

"Grabbing a drink." I said nonchalantly, drug my mother to the alley. I can't believe that my mom is back, and I have to pretend that I don't care.

"Watch and learn." I smirked as I waited for someone to come out of the bar. My mom said nothing, but gave me a disapproving look. She waited behind the dumpsters. Out stumbled a group of guys, nor older than Derek, and stopped to look in my direction. There were 3, and they were all unattractive. They laughed and hit each other as they took off in my direction, as if they got lucky. "idiots" I thought.

They all circled around me like buzzards. I could see my mother's calm face out of my peripheral vision, and I turned my attention back to the idiots.

"What?" I called harshly.

They all smirked and one tried to touch my waist, I jerked away.

"What are you doing? It's dark out here, Angel." Ew.

"Thanks, I got that." I responded sarcastically. I hate this part. The "making conversation" part, where you have to be remotely interested in these pedophiles lives. But tonight I was feeling anxious, so I just went at it without thought. Swiftly I lifted my boot until it met with one of their noses, and the other fell just as quickly. I heard my mother gasp, or something along those lines. But I didn't care, why should I? I was doing all the work! I felt a hand on my shoulder as I just about got the third one down, who was barely conscious already. I whipped around, and it was...my mother! She just turned away from me to the guy I held in my hands, she tilted her head slightly, and her eyes took on the color of blood, a deep red, and stared into the eyes of the man. He fell immediately, and I gaped at mom. She had swore before the council (my elder's of my family) that she would never use her powers outside of an emergency. She lied. I just kept looking at her, and she looked away ashamed. But that didn't stop her from gracefully biting the neck of the boy on the ground. I didn't feel hungry in the slightest, so I just stood around.

"Finally." Said mom, who's voice had more of a sarcastic ring to it now. She sprung up and swung her hair back into place. Now I saw the resemblance. The light blue eyes, long black hair, high cheekbones, and the same tall, slender figure. This was my mom, the mom that loved me long before Claire came into my life.

"Mom?" I whispered again, but this time I meant it. She really was here, I let this thought sink into my mind.

As my mom grinned at me, wiping excess blood from her dark red-lipsticked lips, tears welled into my eyes.

"Mom." I said certainly, pulling her in for a hug, which she returned. This was insane! I reunited with my mom, standing in a dark alley on a mild December night, covered in some frat-boy's blood, and I loved it.

"What about them?!" I said quickly, looking at the two remaining creeps on the ground and releasing my mom.

She just crouched down, and gently ran her hands over their foreheads and said something low under her breath. "There. Now they will remember nothing." She grinned.

"What else can you do?" I breathed.

"All in good time, love," She smiled, "Now come on! We have a lot to talk about."

We drove home so that my mother could change out of her blood-stained clothes. I gave her my long coat from Derek's care so that she could cover it. But no way Alexander wouldn't smell it.

As we snuck through the front door, it seemed that Alexander was waiting for us. He stood there, like a disapproving father, it made me angry looking at him.

"What?" I said, annoyed.

"Nothing, I just wanted to give my warmest welcome to your mother, is that alright?" He said calmly, which made me even more mad.

"It's fine." I said coldly.

My mother looked back from me to Alexander, confused.

"Hello, Veronika. My mother and father sends their happiest hellos." He said, with limited emotion.

My mom just nodded and said, "Them as well." She could be pretty grown up when she wanted to.

"What..what's that smell?" Alexander sniffed the air, "Is that...blood?"

"Mom, go change so we can leave." I said without taking my eyes off Alexander.

"Where's Raven?" I asked as my mom went up the red carpeted stairs.

"Resting."

"In a coffin?" I said, raising my eyebrows.

Alexander didn't find that very amusing, as he bared his fangs, just like the night at the fun house.

"Calm down, Dracula. I'm in no mood for you to ruin my night. It's a bit of a family reunion." I said, reaching out to touch a dusty statue.

"But not everyone's here, no?" He responded.

"You leave Derek out of this." I growled, getting closer to his pale face.

"I wasn't referring to Derek." He said almost instantly, standing still. I faltered, "You- you know-?" He just closed his eyes. I about smacked the stupid smirk off his face, when my mother called me.

"You got lucky, Sterling." I said slowly, and made my way up to my room. "Yes?" I said.

"Where can I put my things?" She asked, holding up a red and black dress, and another little black dress.

"You can have your own room, mom." I said, pointing to the hallway.

"No, no! I want to stay with you. Onyx, believe me, I missed you. I'm not lying." She embraced me again, and I smiled.

"You can put it wherever, I'm not very organized." I laughed. She just stared at me hard.

"What?" I asked self-consciously, messing with my tights.

"How did you...grow up like this?" She asked, gesturing at me up and down.

"i-is it a bad thing?"

"No, it's just, I missed everything." She let the last part drop off.

"You didn't miss much. I would've turned out like this anyway, after I met Marilyn Manson." I joked lightly. She smiled, "I actually wanted my children to be different. I mean, we already were, but I like that you don't care what people say. It says a lot about you, Onyx." She smiled. I returned the same smile. Her face darkened as if she remembered something, then she said, "let's unpack, shall we?"

My moms style would be antique Gothic if anything. A bit Victorian with Lolita-esque touches. I lightly touched one of my mothers deep red lace corsets, and I was instantly filled with happiness.

"Mom, aren't we going out?" I asked.

"Oh yes!" She remembered, holding up a lacy black mini-dress, "where's your brother?" She questioned. It had been a really long time since she had talked about Derek with her mother, "He's on a vacation."

"What?! Where is he?! This IS vacation, he wasn't supposed to leave!" Mom blew up.

"Well," I thought quickly, "He had a job interview, he's staying with some vampires in the next town over. I know them, they're very nice." I tried to calm her down. Slowly she calmed down, "That kid was always trouble." She finally said. Whoa, I always used to talk about Derek like that, and I had no problem hearing it from my own mouth. But when I heard it from my moms, it felt...wrong. Because Derek was a problem in my eyes, but that was just because I was jealous of him, why would mom have a problem with him? I figured I shouldn't ask now, because I was in a good mood. "Let's just get ready, and we can go out on the town, to a nice restaurant." I smirked. Let's see what people would think when they saw me at a high-class restaurant. This should be good.


	18. This is Where My Life Starts to Suck

It was safe to say that me and my mother looked amazing. My mother was only about 30, well she looked 23, but she was supposed to be 30, that's when she registered her birth, 30 years ago. But really she's almost 270. But who can tell, really? I really am only 16, almost 17.

My mom decided to wear her lacy black dress with super tall deep red pumps, and I let her borrow my fishnets. She let her hair fall down her back. I borrowed one of her super-tight black dresses, and my skull see-through tights, and even borrowed some of her tall black pumps. With my cross necklaces, too, of course.

"Where are those from?" She asked curiously as we drove in a cab to a restaurant that I can't pronounce. She picked up a glittering silver necklace that I had gotten from a spoiled 20-something who had laughed at the way I looked. I didn't even mean to, it just happened. "These are all gifts from old friends." I said hoarsely. Fortunately, she bought it.

"Speaking of friends, did you make any here?" She asked, sounding like a real mom. I thought of Trevor, who was like my anti-friend.

"Yes, a few."

"Was that girl in the house your friend?" She asked distractedly, looking out the window.

"Used to be." I said nonchalantly.

"Used?"

"Yeah, she turned out to not be a real friend." I looked down at my hands, remembering what it felt like to hold the leather journal which held all those nasty things she said to me. It seemed like so long ago, but really, it was only about 2 weeks ago.

"Oh." Was all she said, but she said it with a different infliction, it sounded more like she was judging. But...not me, she was judging Raven. What did my mom have against Raven without even knowing her?

I pulled out the gold compact from my deceased grandmother and reapplied my black lipstick. Suddenly, there was a tight grip on my hand, it was my moms. She had wide-eyes, and she said, "Where did you get that?"

"Grandma gave it to me before she died." I replied, worried. Suddenly, my moms nails dug into my skin and I winced.

"She's dead?" Was all I heard.

"You didn't know?" I asked, completely surprised. I thought that she would be the first to know, "Claire said she would tell you."

"Claire told me nothing!" She spat, "She's a wretched witch and I deserved to know my mother died!" I had never heard anyone talk bad about Claire, I loved it.

"That wasn't right of me," my mom sighed, "Claire has always loved you and looked after you."

"Ha!" I laughed.

"Onyx, you know it's true." She scolded, still shocked that her mother had died.

"Whatever." I mumbled, barely audible. My moms mom had been a vampire too, but she was cursed to die when she reached 400. That's my family, full of curses.

"Wait," I said suddenly, coming to a realization, "are you going to die too when you reach 400?"

"No," she huffed, "I don't possess that curse, if anything, I live forever."

"Good." I sighed with relief.

"What about you?" She asked silently.

"Wh-what?" I questioned.

"What about...your curse?" She asked slowly.

"Look, we're here!" I said cheerily, jumping out of the door and into the restaurant.

"Reservation for Beauregard." I requested to the matre D, who escorted us to our table right away after looking me up and down, I replied with a proud smile.

Mom ordered the steak, rare, and I ordered something more me, and less vampire-ish. I opted for a spaghetti, hold the garlic.

"So, Onyx, I have a surprise for you." Mom said, folding her hands and placing her chin on her hands.

"You mean the surprise wasn't you coming home?" I questioned, folding my napkin on my lap.

"No, no," she laughed, "It's actually, well, um-"  
We were once again interrupted by the snobby waiter, "you're food!" He pronounced, setting my mothers rare steak in front of her and turning around to get my pasta.  
"Onyx, listen-"  
"Hold on, mom." I held up a finger as he set the steaming plate down in front of me. Then, he produced a pepper-like shaker.  
"What's that?" I asked, as I noticed my mother looking impatient.  
"It's simply cheese, madam. Tell me when." He then proceeded to grate it onto my plate. Instantly, it didn't feel right. I glanced at my plate, and it...didn't look like pepper, because it wasn't!  
It was garlic!  
Instantly, I started wheezing and choking, my mom jumped up at once, realizing what my ailment was.  
"ONYX!" She shouted, "Onyx breath!" She pulled me out of the restaurant and let me get it, er, "all out" in a trash can. But the smell was still stuck in my lungs. Suddenly, I remembered that Derek kept a spare anecdote in his cars glove box. "Car...car!" I wheezed, barely pointing to  
the car.  
"W-what?!" Mom cried, as I helplessly pointed towards the car. Recognition fled across her face as she pressed the Unlock button on the car keys and said, "where?!"  
"Glove...dash..."  
She opened up the glove compartment and uncapped the needle. I'm sure my face was even more pale than usual as she jammed the needle in my leg. Random place, but thats where it was supposed to go, I suppose. As my heavy heaves settled into normal breathing, I looked up at my mom, and she did not look happy.  
As soon as I managed I said, "Mom, are you alright?" I searched her face. She parted her wine colored lips and said, "Onyx, you can't stay here."  
As soon as she said those words, my heart stopped, "What?" I whispered.  
"You need to come back to Romania." She looked more regretful then mad now.  
"WHAT?!" I yelled, "No way!" Why was this happening?!  
As if reading my mind, my mom said, "This place isn't safe for you, Onyx. At least come back for Aunt Arabella's birthday!" She pleaded, walking towards me.  
I backed up, "Mom, you don't know what I have here! I can't just leave!" I was getting angry.  
"Onyx, just come back for the weekend!"  
"NO!" I cried.  
"You will come back. Or I will make you." She threatened, looking me directly in my eyes.  
"excuse me?!" I said, but I didn't even wait for a response, I just ran. I have no idea where I'm going, but I know where I'm going to end up.

As I'm running, the thoughts just rush through my head, how dare she act like shes been here for me my whole life, why would she think I would just leave with her, and to ROMANIA?! IS SHE INSANE?! Does she not know what HELL I have been through there? Of course, not. She abandoned me.  
Oh.  
As I looked up, I realized I was here. The iron gate to the cemetery. I stared at the locked gate and I looked up at the top, then at my outfit and my heels. I was in no mood to climb the gate, physically and mentally. I gave up and sat on the bench beside the gate. I put my head in my hands and just thought about what was next. It didn't take long before I was interrupted.  
"Hey, freak." I heard. I whipped my head up.  
It was Claude.  
"IDIOT!" I hissed, "I thought you were Trevor!" I kicked him. He didn't flinch.  
He perched upon the iron handles of my bench and said, "Not disappointed are you?" He grinned.  
"Highly." I mumbled, rolling my eyes. He noticed my expression.  
"You alright?" He said, moving to eye level with me. I stared at him, "No." I said finally. He looked at me for what seemed like the longest time, then sat beside me. I sighed and shoved me chin on my hand.  
"Whats wrong?" He asked, a bit quietly for him.  
"Why do you care?" I snapped, where did that come from?!  
"Onyx, don't be stupid. Of all people you talk to, you should know I probably listen the most." He said, not missing a beat. Did ANYTHING unnerve him...besides clowns? I tried to keep a straight face, but smiled at the though of tough-guy-hottie Claude being scared of a clown. I let up a muffled laugh, that wasn't supposed to come out.  
He glanced at me sideways, "What?" He said, not like being left out.  
"Oh nothing." I snickered.  
"Yeah, okay, weirdo, I'm hungry." He got up, instantly, I pulled him back down. It was all so sudden and abrupt that he just stared at me wide-eyed, "Make up your mind." He complained, straight-faced. Why didn't I just do it, right then and there?  
"My mom is making me go to Romania." I finally said, closing my black lined eyes.  
"Wait, what?" He looked genuinely surprised. I just nodded, and tried to hold back the tears.  
"Does she even know you? Didn't she abandon you?" He asked. I nodded and laughed bitterly, "Yep."  
It was silent for a while. I glanced over at Claude and he had an annoyed look on his face, you gonna go?" He looked at me and I snapped my head forward.  
"I might go for the weekend." I said, folding my hands in my lap.  
More silence. What was up with him tonight, usually he's full of the sarcastic quips and inappropriate gestures, I guess you can call them.  
"I'm so scared, Claude." Did that come out of my mouth? I didn't mean for it to. He looked over at me, his bleached hair flopping in his eyes. "Why?" he simply quipped. I just looked over at him, "I...just am. I've done so many things here. Been to a dance, made friends, enemies, went to a carnival, I dress like THIS!" I gestured towards my outfit, "And...just...they're gonna find some reason to make me stay. And if Claire is there, then I'm simply screwed." I threw my hands up.  
"You know, we're not so different. We're both screw ups in our families." Claude concluded, "my grandmother always favorited him more."  
Him? I wondered. I was about to ask when Claude suddenly looked up at me, "You know Claire?"  
"What? Of course, she was my guardian. Why?" I looked him in the eye.  
"She-" Suddenly a bright light blinded up both.  
"Onyx?!" My moms voice called.  
"Great. I can't handle this." I mumbled, getting up to leave. Claude looked towards the car, "mommy dearest?" He asked in a monotone.  
"Yep."  
"Onyx! Wait, please!" My mother jumped out of the car and grabbed my wrist. I hissed at the sudden touch and she dropped my hand.  
"Onyx!" Mom called out in surprise.  
"Oh please! Is that all you can say 'Onyx!'" Claude was just sitting like a mastermind, watching it all unfold. Mostly because mom didn't even see him.  
"What's wrong with you?" She quipped cautiously.  
"I'm not going." I said simply, standing my ground.  
"Yes, just for her birthday!"  
"You think using that woman as an excuse will make me go?! Ha!"  
"She'll go." A voice said, coming from Claude, who jumped up and put his arm around me. He had a innocent expression on his face. Like he was good kid, "WHAT?" I snapped.  
"S-she will?" My mom stuttered, temporarily blinded by Claude.  
"Yep," Claude looked at me then at my mom, "Because I am, too." He smirked.

So, Claude is going to Romania with me. My mom asked him why he was going, and she asked him as if she thought there was something between us. Wow. He said, that he was already going with his friends and he elbowed me pretty hard in the side when I wouldn't play along. When my mom said we needed to leave but I could say goodbye to my friend I asked him why he did that. He said he knew I would go if he did, then I asked him what that was supposed to mean and he just smirked and said he needed to go anyway to do some "business" I knew that meant sneaking into some secluded ancient burial ground. Before I could scold him, he patted me on the head like a dog and hopped over the gate.  
So, here I am thinking about what just happened and how and why he got me to go to Romania. I swear if its for his own game, I will kick the crap out of him.  
"He seems nice." Mom said, jolting me to the present.  
"What?"  
"That kid. He seems like he's...different." She hesitated.  
"What do you mean by that?" I snapped. It annoys me to no end when she acts like a real parental figure one moment then a mysterious creature-of-the-night the next. But then again, that's probably how people see me.  
"I just meant how he acts, I guess." She shrugged.  
"Oh, well, yeah. He's a real card." I rested my face on my hand. After a long silence, my mom said, "We're leaving in three days. You may want to pack."  
"Great." Was all I said. Just because Claude was there doesn't mean he could stay with me in my castle, or that I wouldn't have to leave. If anything, he would just add to the chaos. Especially if she was there...  
"Are you afraid?" I heard.  
"W-what?" I spluttered.  
"What are you so afraid of?"  
I turned to look at my mother as she drove, "Mom, you weren't there for me for half of my life! A-and when you were there, you still didn't pay attention to me! You didn't see what Claire did to me! She-"  
"Onyx, as I can remember, I was there. And when I was, you crawled onto train tracks and caused Claire to almost get hit by a train and you almost killed your-" Why was she defending her? She didn't like Claire either!  
"I REMEMBER WHAT I DID! ALRIGHT?! NOT A DAY GOES BY WHEN I DON'T! That doesn't mean I don't regret it or that I'm sorry or that it was any reason to lock me in the basement for a week without food or water! I ALMOST DIED, TOO! THEN YOU LEFT! You don't know how many time I tried to kill myself, but I couldn't! And the worst part is, I didn't try to kill myself for ME, I did it for everyone, because life would just be better without me, right?! No wonder you came to get me, just to drag me back to the hell hole I grew up in! That's all everyone wants from me is misery! WELL, I'M DONE! After I go to Romania, that's it! I'd fling myself off the balcony before I stay with those monsters!"  
After I finished my rant, I noticed that my mom was just looking at the steering wheel, eyes wider than I've ever seen them. She was panting a bit, like she was trying to catch her breath, even though she didn't need to. We had stopped in the middle of the road, and I couldn't handle the silence or the purr of the engine, or gas smell, so I just jammed opened the door and walked away. I heard no protests from the drivers seat. The closest life was the Barnes & Noble where I had gotten my vampire book, so that was my target. I instantly smelled freshly-roasted coffee. I pulled open the door and walked to the "Myths" section because that's the only place I've been here.  
I passed the old book that I looked through last time that told me I was a Nymph Vampire, but I've come to believe that isn't true. If it was, Trevor would've fallen in love with me. So, I still haven't found what type I am yet.

I wiped away all the tears that blocked my face and my eyes caught something shiny. It was under a sign that read "NEW!" but it was the only one set out. I walked closer and first noticed the sticker that read, "100% authentic!" and one said, "Bestseller!". I rolled my eyes, because it's easy to slap a label on a book, but the weird part was it was entitled, "How to Be a Vampire!" I faltered at first, looking at the cover which was a sultry girl smiling as her fangs shimmered with blood. The whole front was done out in light-catching foil, her fangs were silver. I carelessly picked it up and went to sit down at the reading area. I flipped open to a random page that said, "What Type of Vampire are You?". It was a quiz, so I absentmindedly took it as I tried to think what I was going to do about sneaking Claude into my house. At the end, the results said I was a outcast/rebel vampire. Naturally. I rolled my eyes, I KNEW this stuff already!

I threw it onto the coffee-table, which caused it to fall onto the floor, causing a dull thud. When I looked down, I couldn't believe it! The same picture from the last book I bought of a woman who looked like my mother was IN this book, too! I frantically picked it up, reading the caption. In this book, I could actually understand what I'm reading. It read, "18th century head of the vampire family. The name is signed as B.B."

Beatrice Beauregard. The name popped into my mind. It WAS my mother! And my grandmother had painted it for her! Come to think of it, wasn't this very picture hanging above the fireplace at home in Romania? It was! I was thinking of buying this book just for the fact that mother was in it, when I read the title of that page.

"The story of the Beauregard family." I froze. What was this? I skimmed the lines, of course everyone was mentioned but me, when talking of the children,

"The woman depicted is the daughter of B.B...she was cursed along with her grandmother by a demonic vampire from Hell...firstborn girl would be cursed as a semi-demon, never being able to love...random outbursts of rage...at first, the outbursts will be minor...killing everything...until there is nothing left of her but an empty shell. Nothing.

She will never stop until the demonic side fully unleashes itself...

….and kills everything the normal side of her loves.

Never.

But-"

I dropped the book, not bothering to read another word because everything went...black.


	19. Romania or Die!

When I awoke I stared into the eyes of a man. His eyes were warm and dark brown, he looked like he was in his late 30's, or perhaps less. He had wavy black hair, and the whitest teeth I had ever seen. Like they were professionally whitened, and expensive. He didn't feel like that middle-aged creep outside the bar, he had a warm feeling to him. Like a...father figure. Suddenly, I wondered why he was here. I sat up and looked around, I was still in Barnes and Noble in the sitting section.

"Hey." He smiled warmly, his voice a whisper. Like he thought he would frighten me.

"Yeah, what?" I asked nervously, all traces of my evil side gone. I winced as I remembered what I had just read.

"Are you alright? I heard a falling noise, and when I looked over at you, you were out.

"How long was I out?" I asked back, ignoring his question.

"Hour." He simply said, then handed me a book, "you dropped this." he handed me the shiny-foil covered book. I snatched it back and hid it behind me, feeling guilty for some strange reason.

"You like vampires?" He half-smiled.

"I...guess." I cautiously said. Why was this stranger so interested in me?

"So does my son, he is...invested, I suppose you could say." He nudged towards a large drink sitting on the end table beside me.

"What...is that?"

"Coffee. I wasn't sure what you liked, or if you were dehydrated or what, so I just guessed."

I stared at the coffee, then at the man. He shrugged and picked it up and drank it first, "See, not poison."

"Yeah...but now you drunk it." I simpered. He laughed. Why did that laugh sound so eerily familiar? I picked up at cardboard venti, wiped off the mouth of it, and drunk it. It was my favorite.

"Great." I heard him say in a delighted voice. Did I say that out loud? Whoops. "I guessed. It's my sons favorite, too." When I looked back up at him, he was staring at me. No, not in a creepy way, in a fascinated way. "Yes?" I said expectantly.

"Why do you dress like that?" He gestured towards my studs, black, and torn fishnets.

"Like what?" I defended.

"never mind." He grinned, and took a drink of his own coffee. I gaped at him. The nerve of this stranger!

"No, I wanna know! Like what?"

"My son."

That was not the answer that I was expecting. I drew back, "huh?"

"My son, I guess, dresses like this. Whenever I ask him why, he doesn't give me a straight answer. He just says that he feels like he needs too. I was wondering if all of, er, 'you' feel like you need to."

"Well, I have a reason."

"Which is?"

"When I was younger I grew up surrounded by happy bright things like flowers, pink dresses, that crap. Then when...the accident happened, I was 'grounded' and then my bright world was turned dark. I just like dressing like this because it makes me feel safe, and surrounded, maybe that's why I'm so happy but yet people think because I dress like this that I'm just a moody teenager who listens to complaint rock. But that's not it, if I didn't dress like this, and I dressed like a normal Hollister clone, then I WOULD be moody. My bright world I lived in was all a sham, no one ever loved me, no one was happy I was born, no one looked forward to seeing me every day. I-I just wanted people to understand." I threw my hands up and gave up. I had just spilled a dark half of my past, be it the less dark half, to a complete stranger. But...I felt better. Like I had just discovered that's why I dress like I do, and it's true. Plus, this man, I can't explain it, but I liked being around him, I trust him.

When I looked back up, he had a sympathetic smile on his face, and tears welled up in my eyes. Not even my mother would understand but he does. And after this i'll never see him again. Perfect.

"Dad?" I heard a low voice, I whipped my head up, and there he was. This boy, the son, had wavy hair like his dad, dark blue eyes, and pale (but still more tan than I), he had a long-sleeved black shirt on that was ripped, and torn jeans with black vans. He was tall, and skinny, but still looked strong, like Claude. I did notice that he had small gauges, and his eyebrow twice pierced. He was obviously toned down for a nice night at the book store.

I sat there like a rock with tears in my eyes clutching a coffee cup, like an idiot. He hadn't noticed me yet, because his back was turned when he walked up. The weird part was, usually I would fangirl over guys like him, but I didn't. I felt like I did when I first put on a leather mini skirt, safe and happy. Like-

"Alec! You weren't supposed to be back yet." His father sounded protective.

Suddenly, I felt ill, "I-I should be going." I stumbled up, almost spilling my coffee. Alec turned around to see where the noise came from, and we locked eyes. I opened my mouth and closed it, I felt hot, then I turned and left. When I looked back after I was outside the doors, I saw two very stunned people.

I never liked my father. He would always...yell at me. I didn't clean my room right, yelling. I didn't finish my dinner, yelling. Everything, yelling. But oh no, not with any others. Just me. Heaven forbid Derek get yelled at for breaking the vase in the hallway, or letting our Great Dane, Lady, out, nope. He was perfect. My father was a vampire, too. A fullblooded one, at that. He loved being in charge of everything. I didn't see a resemblance. He had white-blonde hair and green eyes. He looked closer related to Claire.

"Onyx, put down the book and go feed the horses."

"It's light outside." I said, glancing at the window.

"So? It's not like you're affected by it." He sneered.

"So, you're saying you trust me outside in the light again."

"Are you talking back?!" He said, surprised. I don't know why though, this always happens.

"That's usually how conversations work."

"You are nothing but a little brat, you know that? Worthless! This is why your mother left-"

I abruptly stood. "Mother left because the Hunters are after her, nothing to do with me. Trust me, if it was anything to do with me, they would have gotten rid of me already so that mommy-dearest could return." What was happening? I had this feeling before, but never this strong.

"YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH! YOU ARE THE SOURCE OF EVER BAD THING IN THIS HOUS-"

"Furthermore, Daniel, if you ever try to touch me or her again, I will..and yes, I mean this...I will kill you." I moved close to him, "I promise you that."

He stared at me hard, "You won't touch me." I said. He smirked and lifted his hand and really the next thing I knew, I wasn't...myself. I remember him being unconscious, and someone had taken me back to my room. This was after the train track incident. I think that was the first time I fully transformed. He never touched me again.

But nothing was ever the same again.

As I returned home, I noticed all my mothers things were out of my room, and I glanced at the door across the hall. A guest room, which was now taken. I sighed but didn't feel bad. I felt betrayed.

Scratch, scratch

I tried to relay the last couple of hours of my life, and that...kid I saw. He looked so familiar. And that man was so..nice.

Scratch, scratch.

I huffed and sat on my bed, removing my shoes and throwing them on top of a clothes pile that had collected in the corner of my room. I removed each bracelet and sat them on my desk, and removed my black lipstick and brushed out my hair.

Scratch, scratch.

I quickly sat up to go stop that knocking on my window by that annoying tree branch. But, when I saw who it was I screamed.

"CLAUDE?! What the hell?!" I threw open the window as he smirked.

"About time. I thought I would have to sit out there forever." He held out his hand for mine, and he pulled himself in.

"Are you sure you should be here, with Alexander?" I looked back behind my shoulder.

"Relax, he won't know. Besides, I'm YOUR guest."

"Actually," I tried to suppress a smile, "you are an UNINVITED guest. Close the window." I nudged toward the window. He closed it and sat on my bed and my two kittens jumped on him.

"Awww, they like you!" I smiled, he held up Anarchy.

"Yeahhhh, don't tell anyone, it would ruin my image."

"Yeah, alright, Trevor."

"Hey, I am not Trevor." He put down A.

"Alriggght whatever Trevor." I smiled and got up, "C'mon, you sound just like him. Besides, you don't have an image around me, you're just...Claude. The whole 'tough guy' thing doesn't work around me. I can see right through you." I shrugged, rearranging my desk, "I mean, of course you're still 'evil', and that's a good thing, I guess. You don't let people push you around, but around me, you don't have to act like that, because I don't...want you to." I placed my hand on my face, "No okay, that's not what I meant...I just..." I trailed off and looked up at him, and he was leaning back on his arm with an expected look on his face, "Don't look at me like that! I just...don't like when you act like you have no feelings just because you're dead." I stared into his eyes, and I saw a falter.

"I didn't realize I was such a burden to you." He had a soft smile on his face, but he looked utterly tired.

"Yes, well, you are." I replied, smiling, "Are you...alright? You look tired."

"I really am. Can I crash here?" He flopped back on my bed.

"You don't need to sleep in a...coffin?" I hesitated. He looked up at me,

"Of course not, you don't, why would you ask?"

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and I heard my name.

"Is that-?" Claude started, then I shoved him into my closet, "stay quiet." I pointed at him.

I flung open the door, expecting mother, but it was Alexander.

"Alex-ander?" I stuttered.

He looked uncomfortable like he didn't want to be there, "Onyx." He said, looking away.

"What are you doing here?" I asked uncomfortably, shifting one foot to another.

"It's about...Claude."

"Why?" I questioned, not moving aside. Alexander pushed his way in, and I backed up.

"Why do you see him?" He perched on me bed.

"'Scuse me?" I squinted.

"What's his motive?"

"What do you think, you can come in here after how rude you were to me and ask about Claude-"

"You do know he is evil, right?"

"One of the many qualities I find charming." I mumbled sarcastically. I heard a bump in the closet.

Alexander froze, "what was that?" I kicked the closet door, "nothing. My cat."

"Listen, Alexander, why are you telling me this. Especially when you think I'm going to listen to you, as far as I know, you barely even know him." He got up and moved to the door, it was obvious that what he wanted to tell me, he can't. Or wouldn't.

"When you grow up with Claude, you get to know him." He turned and walked out, slamming the door. Instantly, Claude was beside me. I didn't move. "Grow up with?" I raised my eyebrows, "Explain."

"We're cousins." He replied simply, stretching his arms.

"WHAT!?" I whisper-screamed, "when were you going to tell me?!"

"Why does it matter?" He asked back. Why did it? I just felt betrayed.

"Forget it." I growled, and slammed my door. I ran back in and grabbed my sleeping clothes, "don't forget to lock the door." I rolled my eyes and slammed the door harder than Alexander did. I could feel the sarcastic smirk on Claude's face behind the closed door.

The next morning, I unlocked my door with my black skeleton key and Claude was gone. It looked like he hadn't even slept in my bed, but the pillows were messed up. It was a Saturday, and I had nothing to do. I sat on my bed and turned on the Disney Nightmare Before Christmas TV, and turned it to cartoons. What was I going to do today?

Suddenly, all the memories of last night came back, I would continue to be a demon until I destroyed everything I loved, including myself. Great. My mother was sleeping in her guest coffin until dark, as was Alexander. Jamison was out with Ruby, and so everyone was either out or asleep. Except for me. I switched off the TV, and stepped into the hallway. I came face-to-face with Raven.

"Hey." I said.

"Hi." She said after some time.

"What...are you doing here?" I awkwardly asked.

"Seeing Alexander." She stiffly replied.

"In this wing?" I looked around. She faltered. She really was coming to see if I really lived here or not.

She turned around, "he's sleeping." I said, and she said, "I know."

She knew?

I stepped into the warm, almost Summer, air. Summer in Romania was cold and dark, no fun at all. Granted, it was like that for every season, not just Summer.

Everything was due to the curse! My grandmother dying, me basically being a demon, and just...everything! Suddenly, a thought popped into my head. The vials. What if the vials would cure me, us? I needed to find them. Suddenly, I found myself heading towards the library. I would look up all ancient grounds close to here. It had to be somewhere.

I opened the door, and the stale smell of old books filled my nose, and I went directly to a computer. So, the mission is to find all old grounds around here. Right.

I took a seat at an empty computer and booted it up. It took a while, being the dinosaur it is now, but eventually it got there. I looked around at my surroundings and it seemed that everyone was staring at me, even the librarian's helper. The librarian, however, was invested in scanning books back into the system. I glanced up through my hair and saw him nudge the librarian and "discreetly" point in my direction.

She looked up at me and smiled, then continued scanning her books. After a while, she moved over towards me.

"Excuse me, miss," she started, in her old voice, "we need your card." she smiled.

I groaned, "I don't have one."

She glanced at my Google search bar located on our towns homepage, which held the words, "old grounds".

"What are you searching?" She asked, completely curious. She took a seat next to me, looking 20 years younger. She was pretty and young looking for her age. Around 60, she looked 40.

"Just...searching sacred grounds for my school project." I replied nonchalantly.

"School project, eh?" She smiled, "I'll be right back." She swiftly got up from the computer and disappeared behind a book shelf. When she returned, she held a dusty red book that looked like it hadn't been touched in years. She brushed it off and I tried not to cough.

"What," cough, cough, "Is this?" I wondered.

"Our towns whole history. Sacred grounds and all." She placed her hands on her hips and smiled proudly.

I smiled a little. "Really?!"  
She nodded, "if you need anything else, anything at all, ask." She winked at me and returned to her desk, her assistant looking flabbergasted.  
I cracked open the book, and there was a whole list of sacred grounds right before me. I decided it would be better to check this book out and research it at home. I walked past a couple who scowled at me, and right up to the counter.  
"Hey, this is?" the librarian asked me brightly.  
"Uh, yeah." I said meekly. I handed her the book and she rung it up.  
"Do you have a card?"  
"Oh, no. I don't really come here." I looked around and shuffled my feet.  
"Well, I think you should get a card. You don't have to." she shrugged, limply holding the book scanner. This would totally be me...if I aged.  
"Sure." I gave a half-smirk in return and folded my hands on the desk.  
"Alrighty, then. First we need your name."  
"Onyx Beauregard."  
"Nice," she smiled, "age?"  
I thought for a second too long, "17."  
she looked me over, "alright. Address?"  
I halted. I had no idea what my address was. So I just said what I tell everyone, "I live in Sterling Manor." I looked into her green eyes. She hovered her hands over the keyboard, "you're the girl who lives there?" she said slowly.  
I just nodded. What else do I say? Yeah, and we're vampires, too? I couldn't.  
"Have you noticed anything...odd things going on?" she said politely, typing at a fast rate.  
"good odd goings on?" I joked, trying to lighten the mood.  
"Onyx, it's just," she started, now looking at me, "I've heard bad things about them."  
"Look, the only bad things about that place is Alexander Sterling." I huffed.  
"Really?" she looked up in surprise.  
"Wait. What else are you afraid of?" I asked slowly. She adjusted her gaze to my book.  
"Nothing. Just that there were people loitering around it." Trevor? Jagger? Claude? Anyone of those would work.  
"Well, I can assure you, we'll be fine." A hoard of vampires can take care of themselves.  
"Well, here's you card." she smiled and handed me a white card with my name on it.  
"Thanks." I smiled uneasily, grabbing my book. She placed her hand on it and said, "Onyx...do you believe in, mythical creatures?"  
"Like what?" I swallowed.  
"Vampires."  
"Uh, I guess." I started to feel cold all over, and not because I didn't have body heat, either.  
"Do you believe there are different types of Vampires?"  
"Like what?" I asked.  
"Good vampires, I suppose." she looked at her computer screen.  
I stepped back and took my book from her hands, "no way." I laughed shakily and walked out into the new morning sun, "no way in Hell."


	20. The Kiss

As I walked down the unusually sunny road, I came across Raven. We still hadn't been speaking to each other. She looked at me as I started to pass her. She eyed the book in my hand. Without noticing, we had stopped walking and were now just looking at each other. Why was she walking by- oh right. Alexander is a "normal" vampire, isn't he? Whatever.  
She started to walk towards me, when out of nowhere, Kat came around and put her arm around me. Raven just opened her mouth, closed it, rolled her eyes, and walked past me.  
"What are you doing here?" I half-smiled.  
"Claude wants to see you." she laughed, taking my hand.  
"Why?" my stomach turned.  
"Business talk." she led me to the graveyard.  
Claude, Tripp, Rocco, and now Kat were all perched upon their graves, talking. I placed my book behind me on a grave and sat on it, too. It burned with the usual hotness of early Summer. I kicked my legs back and forth on the grave. When I looked up Tripp was looking at me with a slight smile on his face. He glanced at my book, "What's that?" he asked softly.  
"School project." I said back, avoiding his bright amber eyes.  
"Ah." was all he responded with, along with a slight smile.  
To change the subject, I quickly asked, "so, what are we gossiping about, ladies?"  
"we're talking about the big music festival coming to Hipsterville." Kat purred. I jumped up, "SummerFest?!" I practically yelled. Kat jumped up, too, "yes!" SummerFest is basically Warped Tour but at the beginning of Summer.  
"We're going." I ordered.  
"We don't have time-"  
"We have time to listen to music that isn't country, jazz, or classical, alright? Thats all I hear in Dullsville. Besides, we can like, search sacred grounds or blah, blah, blah." I said, cutting off Claude. He shook his head.  
"Yeah," Kat started, "and imagine how delicious the roadies will be." she put her hands together.  
"Exactly." I smiled back.  
The best part? There would be no Jagger, Trevor, and, assuming she would be too lost without Alexander, no Raven.  
"We. Are. Going." I said, stepping up to Claude. He looked up at me, "are we?" he smiled, revealing his fangs.  
"Hell yes." I clasped my hands together.  
Claude just covered his mouth and looked at me, "fine." he said after a long time, as if I would've listened if he said no anyway.  
"Wait, when is it?" I asked.  
"Tomorrow." Kat said.  
"WHAT!?" I grabbed her arm and drug her off.  
"Yeah, tomorrow is the day they come to Hipsterville. Plus, they just announced the secret location."  
"This is crazy!" I yelled, continuing to drag her off.  
"Where are we going?"  
"the mall. We need to get prepared!"  
"What's that?" Claude asked, noticing the red square object that Tripp held in his hands.  
"Onyx's 'school project'." Tripp smiled slightly, cracking open the book.  
"Whatsit about?" Claude said, half-interested.  
"Every single cemetery, haunted house, and...sacred ground in Dullsville."  
Claude stopped moving and hopped up beside Tripp, "what is she doing with that."  
"Obviously, our little Onyx wants to help us out a little." he flashed a fanged smile. He tapped his nails on the red cover of the book.  
"I knew she'd come around."  
"She wants to be a full fledged vampire just as badly."  
"My kinda girl." Claude said, his eyes moving to the moon.  
"What about this?" Kat asked me as we made our way through the mall. She pointed up to a store that had a sign that read, "Six Feet Under"  
"Kat, I'm pretty sure that place is a funeral service." I said, noticing tombstones and boxes of tissues laying everywhere.  
"Woah, this place really is dull." she mumbled under her breath.  
"Yep." I sighed. Then I stopped, hanging down from the ceiling was a banner that read, "Vampire. NOW OPEN!"  
"'Vampire.'?" Kat cocked her head.  
"Let's go check it out." I gasped excitedly.  
I ran down the stairs to the first floor and passed the carousel, The Attic, and finally came across the most beautiful store ever.  
"It's- a goth store." Kat said, beholding the beautiful sight. It was more than that, it was everything black and beautiful, and more! Walking out were people of all, well scary, types! Goths, emos, scene kids (if they still go by that name anymore), even hipsters. Most of them were from Hipsterville.  
"This is awesome," one girl with Ariel red hair said, "this store is exclusively in this town, not in ours."  
"Yeah, but its not like anyone here has any good use for it." another said.  
Kat and I stood there taking in the sight, as hordes of gawking guys and jealous petty girls looked at us. Hey, not our fault we're damned to the night and really good looks, is it?  
No.  
In front of me was a group of guys, all having a different color in their hair, when I saw him!  
It was my bus buddie! The Aussie with the eyebrow ring! Except this time, his hair was blonde with electric lime green in his hair. But I knew it was him. He looked at me, then down again, then did a double take. He held out his arm, "Onyx!" his accent brought back memories to me. Jagger. The Bus. The Coffin Club.  
"A!" I cried, flinging my arms around him.  
"Nice." one of A's friends commented. Another shoved him in the face backwards. Kat stood there, dumfounded. But, like Kat, she quickly composed herself. She was beside me at lightning speed and held out her gloved hand, "Hi. I'm Kat." she purred, holding true to her name once again. A took it and said, "charmed, I'm sure." he gave a half-smile. Oh, no. I knew that-  
"Who are you?" the guy with black and blue hair asked. His eyes were deep brown and trusting. Kat was still talking to A, having a normal conversation.  
"Onyx. I met A on a bus a few weeks ago."  
"Nice. I'm Evan." He gave a little wave. He, too, had an Aussie accent. This kid didn't seem like he was full of brooding and despair like a normal "goth" kid, but his hair was nicely cut, and he dressed a little lighter than the others. He smiled and the first thing I noticed were how pointy his canines were. Force of habit, I suppose.  
I looked right into his dark eyes, they weren't anything special. Usually, vampires like us will have a certain look in their eye, but he seemed like a normal kid. Plus, he was pretty tan.  
"Your teeth are, uh-" I trailed off, pointing to my own canines.  
"I get that a lot. They're naturally this sharp." He softly jabbed his finger with his tooth, "yours are pretty real looking." he gave a playful smile.  
"Oh, yeah." duh! "They're fake. I-I'm a huge vampire fan, so I got mine...um...filed."  
Wow, can you be anymore un-smooth?! Really, Onyx, the one time you're having a normal conversation.  
Evan stared at me for what seemed to be the longest time the he smiled again, "really? That's so awesome. Never met anyone more dedicated." He shoved me playfully, and I filled with happiness. Is this what it's like to have normal human guy friends?  
A group of girls dressed head to toe in some sort of designer with the word 'Juicy' scrawled across the butt, scoffed at the store and then at us. I'm not stretching the truth when I say this. They were all like...clones. They all had blonde hair, Starbucks in their left hand, their hipster approved Iphone in their right.  
I couldn't help myself from saying something naturally, "wow, what a special snowflake." I touched my heart with my hand and slowly shook my head at them. The one that was staring said, "EXCUSE me?"  
I heard Evan, A, and the rest laughing behind me. Like a good friend, Kat wasted no time coming to my side, "ladies, please move along. You're ruining my day with your happiness."  
"You guys are all freaks inhabiting this town! THERE ARE SO MANY OF YOU!"  
"We're making it more fun." I stated.  
"F-fun?! I can't walk three feet without seeing something vampire related or some goth freak! YOU CALL THAT FUN!?" she squeaked.  
"Um, well, yes?" I said incredulously, as if it wasn't obvious.  
"Come on Sam, we don't have time for these freaks. Look, that guy over there is totally checking you out!" her friend said, trying to cheer her up, and pointed to a guy with dirty blonde hair and green eyes-  
"Trevor?!" I smirked, whipping around to face him. We met eye to eye, well he was taller but, anyway.  
"Hey, it's my little monster babe!" he said, putting his arms around me. I should have known, a few of his soccer friends were milling about. He was obviously trying to amuse them.  
"Ew, you know her?" Sam asked Trevor.  
"We're twins, can't you tell." I retorted, deadpan.  
Sam just rolled her eyes, "call me." she said sternly at Trevor, then they all walked off.  
"Shouldn't she have given you her number at least?" I asked, then turned around to find that Trevor had walked off without putting up a fight, back to his group. Why? Why didn't he fight back? He could have easily, especially in public. Weird. All he did was look back at me with an unreadable expression on his face. The last thing we had done together was at the carnival, when I sprayed him with water and he was with Luna. Ew. Why did he forgive me so easily?  
"Trevor?" I questioned softly, watching him walk away.  
"Are you ready?" Evan asked, looking me in the eyes.  
"Huh?" I squeaked.  
"To go into the store, crazy." he nudged me and led us to the store, with Kat talking to Aiden still talking.  
I decided to just go with it and forget everything thats happening. When you walk into the store, you are immediately greeted by heavy metal mixed with techno music. The whole store is bright read and black. Honestly, it's not even depressing like Hottopic, it was actually kinda modern. But the stuff in there was all high-end looking and in the back was the section for the more modern pop culture stuff like band shirts and that stuff. Up front was the part where all the clothes were for girls. I spotted lace, and studs, chains, zippers. The shoes were so beautiful I could cry. Tall spiked boots, everything. Kat ran ahead of me and caressed a pair of super tall Lolita shoes. Evan and A immediately sat down, so did his friends.  
"What are you doing?" I asked.  
"We've already been in here, but we wanted to see you guys again." A smiled. My insides filled with warmness again, human friends are so nice.  
"Thanks." I smiled back.  
After an hour or so, we had our new SummerFest outfits ready and we checked out. As I waited beside A and the others for Kat to check out, I felt a hand on my arm. I flew around and came face to face with Claude.  
"What are you doing here?" I said, my heart pounding. My mind quickly jumped back to last night when Claude comforted me when my mom told me I'm going to Romania. Then, Claude automatically volunteered he's going too.  
"What? Am I not allowed?" he smirked. I just looked at him.  
"Who's this?" Evan asked, standing up. He had no expression on his face.  
"This is Claude."  
"a friend?"  
"Um, yeah." I responded. Wasn't it obvious? After I said that, Evan and the rest immediately said hello and smiled. Except A. Claude nodded in their direction and pulled me along outside.  
"Whhhhat?" I whined.  
"I need to talk to you." he whispered.  
"Why are you whispering?" I giggled.  
"Onyx, that book you had-" he started.  
Crap! I forgot the BOOK! "What about it?" I snapped.  
"If you would let me talk, I would tell you. Listen, we were all wrong about the burial grounds. Most of the burial grounds are based on traces of Romanian soil."  
"And?"  
"And that means that the vials could very well be back in Romania."  
"Oh, is that why you want to go with me."  
"Isn't that why you're going?" he retorted. I looked straight into his eyes,  
"No. I'm going because someone told me to, so I listened to him!"  
Claude breathed heavily and put on a softer look, "listen, I'm going because I know you need me to, okay?"  
"who said I NEED you to go?" I practically spat.  
"Onyx, I know you're scared. I know you don't want to go, but we'll do it together." he said in a soft voice he rarely used. It stunned me for a moment, "alright."  
"Good." he said, then trailed off. He looked past me.  
"What? What is it?" I started to turn too.  
Claude grabbed onto me and stopped me, "nothing. Nothing. Hey, I have to go meet Tripp outside, you be safe alright? Stay with Kat at all times."  
"Oh, o-okay." With one last look, Claude started walking to Tripp's location.  
When I turned back around, who else was staring at me but Aiden. And he did NOT look happy in the slightest.

"Where did Cluade go? Kat asked, turning her head.  
"He went back outside to find Tripp. It was weird, he looked concerned. He told me to stay with you at all times."  
"Is he okay?" Kat said, lowering her bags.  
"Yeah, yeah." I said, gripping the space between my eyes, "where's A?"  
"Oh, they're-" she stopped as she turned around. They were gone.  
"Gone." I said, my throat catching. So much for them.  
"Oh." Kat said, sounding disappointed.  
"Hey! Let's not focus on that. Lookie what I got!" I squealed, pulling out a gray sweater with Marshall Lee on the front. Kat just looked at me and slowly started smiling, "you are SO weird."  
"What, why?!" I laughed, returning the smile.  
"You have a CRUSH on a FICTIONAL character." she said incredulously.  
"look how adorable he is." I said, caressing my sweater. Kat just laughed and pulled my arm, "let's go to your place and plan."  
Back at my house, my mother was still locked in the guest room. Alexander was in his room, too, blaring music. Even though he was asleep in his coffin. Jameson was sitting on his plush red chair, reading his paper.  
"Hello, Jameson." I chirped, walking past him.  
"Onyx," he said, without looking up from the paper, "you know you aren't supposed to have her in here." her meaning Kat.  
"Why, because Alexander has cousin issues?" I snapped. Jameson put down his paper,  
"No, because your mother said so."  
"Who does she think she is, telling me who I can and can't see?! Based off something ALEXANDER said of all people!" I ranted, throwing my bags down and turning to race up the stairs. I felt a hand on my arm, thinking it was Jameson, but it was Kat.  
"What?" I asked, exasperated.

"Don't you think your mom has been through enough?" she asked in a monotone voice.

"EXCUSE me? My mother?! She put me through Hell all those years-"

"Based on what you told me," Kat interrupted, "Claire made your life Hell, your mom had to run away and hide, you think she liked abandoning you?"

Instead of getting mad, I was surprised, "wow, Kat, I've never seen you care for someone else that you've never met before."

"I'm just tired of people getting hate they don't deserve." she sighed.

"that's whats happening to you." I said softly, understanding it now. Kat just looked up a me with a semi-smile on her red lips, "it's happening to everyone." we sat in silence for a bit, Jameson casually listening to our conversation, he rustled his paper in agreement, which made me smile.

"Listen, I have to go anyway." Kat said tensely, bolting up and grabbing her bags.

"where could you possibly have to go?" I laughed, a bit uneasily. Kat didn't answer right away,

"I just really have to go. But, I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early." she smirked, finding it funny how we being able to be in direct sunlight actually came in handy for once. But her smile quickly disappeared and so did she. The door slammed and then the room became silent again.

"so," I started, "Alexander really hates me, doesn't he?" I picked at the ancient red carpet.

Jameson thought for a while, "he doesn't hate you, if anything, he's probably more jealous of you."

"me?" I asked incredulously, "why me?!"

At this point, Jameson had out down his paper and looked at me, "think, Miss Onyx, you can go out in sunlight, you can have all the fun you want, you don't have to worry about sleeping all day, and finding food at night. Besides, you aren't dating a mortal, either."

I stopped and considered what Jameson had said, in a weird way, it made sense, perhaps Alexander wasn't ever mad at me, maybe he thought I was stuck up because I was something he wasn't, and can never be. Wow. And here I am, wanting to be a normal vampire.

"You really think me being able to go into the sun affects him?" I said in a small voice.

"Very much so, yes. Imagine never being able to walk down a sunny road with your boyfriend, Raven is all Alexander talks about."

"Wow," I mumbled. Then I smiled to myself, Raven doesn't even go out into the sun, and she's human. My smile disappeared, I found myself missing Raven. I began to pick at the carpet again, stunning the room back into silence.

"Besides, your boyfriend can be in direct sunlight, right? That Claude fellow?" Jameson gave me a knowing look from behind his news paper.

I almost fell back in surprise, "me and Claude?! N-no-no-no, he's just..."

"he's just what?" he said, repressing a smile.

"He's just...my best friend, I guess."

"Oh, like Kat?"

"No, it's different than that. Wait, you're tricking me! Stop! I have no idea what me and Claude are, but we're NOT dating!" I said. I looked outside and saw that it began to get dark, even though it was only about 5 or 6, but it did get overcast quickly. I knew Alexander would be out and about soon, so I grabbed the wax handles of my bags, and heaved them up, "we're not dating." I muttered one last time and started up the huge staircase. I was focusing on my feet when I felt someone in front of me, I glanced up, Alexander.

I caught myself from falling backwards and looked into his dark brown eyes. Something familiar was behind them.

"Onyx." He said, in a monotonous voice. I just looked at him and started to walk up the carpeted stairs when he said, "I need to talk to you." his voice sent shivers down my spine. I had heard that line so many times before, never good things.

"Alright." I said, setting my bags to the side. Alexander started walking, so I followed. We ended up in a sitting room that seemed to be cut off from the rest of the house. Why did he want to see me so suddenly? All of a sudden he can't wait to talk to me?!

"What?" I asked, it came out a bit too harshly.

"Listen, Onyx, I know you really like to be with my cousin-"

"Oh my God, we're NOT together!" I shrieked, what did the people at school think? Do they think we're together, too?!

Alexander looked at me skeptically, "I meant ALL of them. My cousin and his friends"

Oh. "Right, go on." I tried to regain myself.

"But, he's not...a good person."

"Why, WHY do you say that Alexander?" I questioned, clawing the arms of the chair I was in.

"He's never been good, he's always been the bad child of our family. Now, he's back-"

"He's back to fit in. He just wants to be what you are, Alexander! What the hell is so wrong with that?! I know for a fact you have no idea what its like in Romania to be an outcast-ed vampire, that's horrible! Being a vampire is bad enough, but not even fitting in with your own kind? People like you make it so hard for them!"

"Onyx," Alexander said, heat in his voice, "you don't get it, he wants the vials to be turned into a full vampire-"

"What?" I asked monotonously, "and run rampant in the daylight? To kill humans? Alexander, wake up, he could do that now. He just wants to be like you, you just wouldn't understand!" I stood up and walking past him to the door. He was silent.

I didn't want to say this next part, but I couldn't stop myself, it all came out so quickly,

"Besides, we already do all those things."

Alexander's head snapped up in surprise. I could've stopped talking right there, but nope,

"It's really fun you should try it."

Then, I proceeded to walk out, only then did my words snap up to my brain. I had just revealed to Alexander that I kill humans. Real, actual humans. I'm horrible, aren't I?

Sitting alone in the semi-dark in the cemetery, waiting for Claude to show up. I knew he would be back soon.

"Onyx!" Claude said, popping up behind me. I barely flinched as one of my black tight-clad legs dangled from the grave. I looked up at him with a bored expression. I raised my eyebrows and let him ask the first question,

"wow, you're weird today. What's up with you?" he swished his blonde bangs from his eyes and sat to the grave across from me. His black, almost leather, jeans made noise as he kicked his spiked boots back and forth. I took him all in with my eyes, every single part of his ensemble. I met his eyes and found out he was doing the same. This is ridiculous. We're almost 100 years old (kidding, but really, we're pretty old), and we can't even act our own age. His wild blue eyes seemed to look right through me, and then, only then, did my stomach turn.

"Nothing." I spoke gently, "I've just thought about myself a lot, that's all." Why was I acting so weird for no reason? It seemed like something washed over me, and I just didn't care what anyone thought of me, at the moment. I leapt off the grave and Claude said, "such as?" he didn't even move.

"Well, I mean, why even try to be a good vampire, it get's me no where in life. I try, and I try and...NOTHING!" I yelled out in frustration, clutching my raven hair. Claude just looked at me and said, "you done?"

"Claude, now is not the time to be a smartass!"

Claude looked at me, "a what? Onyx you constantly overreact!"

"SHUT UP!"

Claude didn't respond. He just looked at the ground, then made his way towards me. He raised her hand, honestly, I thought he was going to hit me. Instead, he forcefully pulled me close to him, "you are such an idiot." he smirked, then... he kissed me. Well, obviously, we were kissing each other. Whatever! The point was...I was kissing...CLAUDE?! My best friend- or whatever we are?! NEVER EVER EVER!

Ever...

Thats when I woke up.


	21. I Have to Kill You All, I'm So Sorry

Bolting up in my bed and turning on my Nightmare Before Christmas bedside lamp, I caught my breath. I felt my head with the back of my hand. I was sweating. I never sweat. I hung my head and let my arms dangle over my knees. I could never- no. I jerked my head to the side in self-hatred. I could never love someone or even be so close to someone like Claude. I would just hurt him. Suddenly, tears ran down my face and I had a sudden urge of loneliness. I picked up Anarchy and stepped into the dimly lit hallway, making my way to my mom's room. But a light coming from Derek's room made her stop. She dropped Anarchy lightly and watched her scamper away. She slowly stepped to Derek's doorway and who else was there-but Derek.

"Derek!" I whisper-shouted. He jerked his head towards me and had a blank look on his face. He didn't smile or looked pissed, nothing. He looked like he hadn't slept in a coffin in days, he looked utterly tired.

"Hey, Onyx," he started, "I came back to get...some stuff. Is-is mom here?" He was scaring me. I wanted to run up to him and hug him but I was just- scared. I longed for Anarchy is my hands, and I said, "y-yeah. Why?"

Derek now only looked pissed. He put his thumb and forefinger on the bridge of his nose, "look. Tell her when she's awake that I need to talk to her."

"you're leaving again?!" I shouted, lunging towards him.

"Onyx, you don't understand." he said as if he was talking to a five year old.

I threw my hands up, "what? What do I NOT understand?! I may look 17 but I'm an adult!"

Derek raised his voice a little, "Just tell her to find me in the next town over, alright?! Can you handle that?" and I saw his eyes were red. Not all of his eyes, just his irises. He was hungry.

"Derek, you need to-to- eat something, alright?" I said, gently.

"Oh great. Now you're gonna tell me to 'give into my natural urges'? We're not talking about flirting with a girl, okay? Natural urges are NOT wanting to eat someone!" He threw the window open.

"If you leave...I'll kill myself." I said calmly, thinking of the last thing I could. I was dying. I wanted Derek back. Animals weren't holding him anymore.

Derek's face softened a little, "Onyx...you're already dead."

Then he was gone.

I was left to sit alone on Derek's bed and cry. Cry until I couldn't anymore.

A plink on the window took my attention away from Derek.

Plink.

Plink.

"What the hell?" I muttered, getting up. Looking out the window, I saw a flash of light hair. Claude. I sighed and ran out of the room and into my room to put on a pair of black sandals. Something in my stomach was telling me not to go outside but I didn't listen. I needed my, er, Claude, I guess. I rushed down the main stairs and flung open the door. It was kind of cold, but it didn't bother me, of course. I walked down the front stone steps and went around to the open yard by the wrought iron gate and the yard.

"Cla-" was all I said because a figure appeared in front of me and it wasn't Claude, it was Jagger.

"Jagger?" I asked, faltering.

"Hello, my dear." he laughed a little, his hands in his black jacket. His blue and green eyes were shining, and his red hair gleamed like blood. It seemed like he had gotten bigger since our carnival encounter, but I put this aside as me being frightened for a moment.

"I'm not your 'dear'" I said surely.

"Ohhhh, Onyx, you act like you're not interested in me. But I know you." he said raspily, leaning in close. I tried not to look into his eyes, but I did.

"Jagger, leave me alone!"

"Don't you want to know whats wrong with your poor Derek?" he questioned.

I froze, "Derek?"

"I know what's wrong with him and you don't. I know what he wants your mom to know. And you don't."

"What?" I pressed, forcefully.

"I'll tell you, for a price." he said, looking up through his reddish bangs. He was playing me.

"W-what do you want?" I stuttered, looking for a way inside. I didn't like this. It didn't feel safe. Like Jagger wasn't the only one watching me.

"You." he said, moving to me. He was no longer smiling as he took my face in one of his hands and the other traced my neck. He smirked. I breathed heavily and stared into his eyes, waiting for it to be over. I just wanted EVERYTHING to be over!

Suddenly, I was pulled backwards into someone. I fell against them, feeling instantly safe. I put my hands together and held them close to me, watching Jagger's every move. He moved so- sinister.

"Don't. Touch. Her." I heard heavy breathing. I looked up, and it was him. I closed my eyes and let him handle it, sighing a huge sigh of relief.

I finally felt safe.

"Claude, it's been a while." Jagger said, smiling.

"Not long enough." he snapped back, tightening his grip on me. I saw Jagger glance at me in a "you're-so-pathetic" way, then said, "what is she to you, huh?"

Claude didn't skip a beat, "more to me than she would mean to you, I'm sure." at this point, he wasn't even threatening Jagger or yelling, but talking a bit calmly. Which in my book was much more terrifying. Remembering my dream, I felt embarrassed, but I didn't want to move. I hid my face.

"Are you sure about that?" Jagger said, his tongue resting on his fangs. He made it sound like a threat. He leaned against a tree.

"what do you mean?" Claude pressed.

Jagger sighed as if it was an inconvenience to be asked, "look, Claude, she's evil. She's always been evil, she always will be evil. More so as time goes on," he paused to smile at me, he knew my secret, "you have no good use for her. She needs to be used in her full potential. With me." he ended with force. I peeked out at Claude, who looked beyond pissed.

"She's not a TOY, Jagger. Despite being dead, she had FEELINGS, alright? As much as it sucks to recognize that, she does."

"And I'm not sure you cared about that in the beginning. You were using her just as much as you used Victoria."

Victoria?

"Never mention that name. EVER." Claude's nails were digging into me. I winced and he loosened his grip a little.

"Look how pathetic she's being. Acting as if she has anything to look forward to, being with you. And that pathetic group you call your 'friends'. That Kat girl, she wasn't enough, was she?" he said in a monotone. I lunged forward and hissed at him, Claude pulling me back, making me more mad.

Jagger ignored me, "as for her being my toy, we both know that it wouldn't be such a bad thing. I'd know what to do, don't worry." he smirked, raising his eyebrows. That did it.

I wriggled free from his grasp and lunged at Jagger's throat. Claude was one step ahead of me and pulled me off, "why are you saying these things to me Jagger!? You and Luna are just EVIL!" I yelled at him, then gave up and retreated back to Claude's arms.

"Jagger get out of here!" a voice said. It wasn't Claude or me, it was...Alexander.

I turned my head and there he was, fully dressed and everything. He took in the sight of Jagger grinning like a maniac with his hand slightly covering his mouth, Claude clutching onto me, and me holding on in fear of ripping Jagger to pieces. Alexander looked at Jagger and said, "get out of here...and take Luna with you."

Luna?

Out stepped the Gothic fairy, from behind a tree, a soft smile on her face, "hello, Alexander."

"Luna." he nodded, "now leave."

She giggled as she skipped her way to him. She was a good half foot smaller than him, "can we not just talk for a few minutes."

"Luna, you and I both know the last thing you want to do is 'talk', alright. So. Get. Out." his voice sounded strained.

"But Alexxxander!" she whined, not giving in. I laughed out loud.

She turned to me in confusion, "ha! Nice try, babe, but he's taken by Raven and you and I BOTH know she would never let you touch him. Neither would I. So you should just LEAVE before I get to you first and take all her fun away." I laughed, through my bangs, that were falling all over my face. I must look like a psycho.

Luna's face darkened and Alexander looked at me in disbelief. I just looked back at him with a blank expression and a slightly-open mouth. I defended RAVEN? She stepped back and looked at Jagger, who was just smirking as if this was all going according to plan and immensely amusing him. She growled a low growl, and whipped her head to look at me and Claude, suddenly she smiled, "Fine. I'll just have to walk in another direction." she said, looking at me.

What?

After Luna hopped away and Jagger waved bye to me (wow, he's so funny) Claude let go of me. And ran his hands through his bleached hair. I could see his natural blonde coming through, my stomach lurched. I felt awkward with Alexander there and waited for him to throw Claude out, seeing as he hates him. And me.

But Alexander just looked at me, "thank you...Onyx," and he actually gave a little acknowledgment to Claude, by nodding his head. I think, for even a second, I actually saw him smile.

"Alexander!" I called after him.

He turned around, "hmm?"

"Tell-tell Raven that I need to talk to her really badly!" I stuttered. Alexander's face softened and he replied, "of course." then he walked into the night.

I turned to see Claude, softly smiling. Instantly I remembered my dream, I turned away.

"So, you're apologizing to Raven?"

"Who said I was apologizing?!" I said, defensively, walking backwards.

"I could tell, babe." Claude responded, almost laughing.

"Don't you start calling me that!" I laughed, stepping towards him and pretending to hit him. He caught my arms and we started laughing.

"Let go!" I laughed...then hugged him, despite me being anti-touching-people and embarrassed.

"What's with you acting like a girl?" he laughed questioningly, although accepting my hug.

"Thanks for caring enough to stop me from acting like an insane freak." I mumbled.

"Whatever." he laughed a little after a pause. I looked up at Claude and he looked across the grounds of the mansion.

"What's wrong?" I asked, releasing him after remembering I was still holding onto him.

"Nothing, just thinking too much again. Damn it, I hate it." He sighed, laughing bitterly. I understand. When Claude came here he had no cares in the world except for finding those vials. He never let anyone into his world, he was a sarcastic kid. Now...I think he accidentally let me into his world. Now, I get to see the side of him that Rocco or Tripp doesn't get to ever see. And, strangely, I like it. Mostly because he can be this sweeter guy while still being very sarcastic at the same time.

"Claude, you know you can tell me. We're basically, like, best friends." I replied, acting like a high school cheerleader.

"Are we?" he raised an eyebrow.

The question stunned me. Were we? I mean, we were...but, not. "I have no idea." I mumbled, then realized it was out loud. I squeezed my eyes shut.

"Yeah, I guess we are," he said, patting me on the head, "you're like my little sister."

"I'm already someone's little sister!" I complained.

"Sorry." he smiled.

"So what's wrong?!" I begged.

"Nothings wrong. I just, I don't know, Alexander didn't look like he wanted to kill me for the first time."

"Awwww, bromance!" I cooed. Claude glanced at me,

"Shut up." but I could hear the laughter in his voice. The moonlight shone on his watery-blue eyes and it reminded me of Derek's red eyes. I hope he's okay.

"Onyx?" Claude said loudly, bringing me back to the present.

"Yesss?"

"In the woods, the other day ya know? With Trevor?"

"Yeah?" I didn't like where this was going.

"Being completely random, he did kiss you first right?" He sounded like he had wanted to ask me for a while. I looked at him, stunned,

"Of COURSE he did! I wouldn't touch Trevor, he's so jock-ish and stuck-up and he thinks he's soooo hilarious, bleh!" I shivered at the thought.

"Good."

"Wait-why do you even care?" I questioned, looking directly at him.

"Because I can't have my little sister dating Trevor. But really, I just don't like him and I just wanted to make sure you really didn't like him."

"Claude, quit being an idiot, alright?" I criticized.

"You're the idiot here. LETTING him kiss you! Gross, do you realize your mouth touched Trevor's and who knows how many others?! Probably that preppy blonde girl in homeroom you're so friendly with." He said, flopping onto the grass.

"Hey, we are NOT friends!" I responded.

"I don't know, she's pretty hot, for an airhead."

Ouch. "No she is not!"

Claude sat up on his elbows, "Onyx, I was kidding." he looked at me like I was insane. I pushed him down and laid beside him, "shut up, okay? Just, hush."

"hush?" he laughed along with me. It was nice, laying there, looking at the stars not caring about anything. Until I remembered what Luna said.

She wasn't looking at ME, she was looking at Claude. And she meant...she was going for...CLAUDE.

"They're so clueless," Kat mumbled, "look at them." she gestured for Tripp and Rocco to look out onto the two vampires hitting each other and looking at the night sky.

"Why do you even care?" Rocco asked.

"Because as her best friend, it's my job to make sure she's happy."

"I thought you had a thing for Claude." Tripp commented, with the ever lasting smirk on his face.

"That was the past." Kat waved it off.

"Like two days ago." Tripp mumbled back, turning up his I-pod volume.

"Whatever." Kat replied.

"So," Tripp purred as he appeared beside her, "who do you like now?"

"It's not Derek." Kat said, not looking back.

"I never said it was." Tripp said, almost laughing.

"Damn it Tripp, shut up!" Kat barked. Then clamped a hand over her mouth. She peeked over at the two laying on the grass, and they didn't seem to notice. Or they just didn't care that they were being watched.

"it's not..." Tripp started.

"it's not Jagger, Tripp." Kat sighed, giving up.

"or what about-" Rocco started.

"OR Alexander! Alright, it's NO ONE!"

"calm down, retract your claws."

"what about YOU, huh?"

"what about me?" Tripp questioned.

"like you don't have a thing for Onyx!"

Tripp didn't skip a beat, "Yeah, I did actually. Then I realized how much she liked Claude. Who knows, there are other fish in the sea."

"smartass." Kat mumbled, turning back to Claude and Onyx.

Suddenly, a thought burst into my mind, "Claude?"

"what?" he mumbled in response, his eyes lazily opening.

"who's, um, Victoria?" I meekly asked, remembering how angry he was for Jagger bringing it up.

Claude's voice turned dark, "no one you need to worry about, alright? Just, forget it."

"why can't you tell me? What's it going to hurt?"

"alright, in the meantime, what secret was Jagger threatening you with, hmm?"

"never mind. Drop it." I said icily.

"exactly." he replied, satisfied.

"why do you have to ruin everything." I sighed, exasperated. I got up and started walking inside, when I felt him grab my foot. I fell down on both knees and instantly whipped around. He was suppressing his laughter as I wiped the grass off my knees, "what the actual Hell, Claude!?" I yelled.

"I'm too lazy to get up on my own." he laughed, rolling on his back and putting his hands behind his head. I gave up and sat beside him, leaning on his stomach.

After five minutes, I spoke, "Claude?" I said shyly.

"Yeah?"

"Um, Victoria wasn't-a-um, girlfriend, right?"

after a bit he responded, "yeah, kinda."

"Ah." I retorted, not letting a hint of bitterness out.

After a while in silence, I figured I should get up off the grass and go back to bed. Claude had fallen asleep in the yard, and I didn't know what to do with him. Do I leave him? Wake him up? Take advantage of the Alexander situation and let him sleep in a guest room? Whatever. I knew for a fact that Kat and the others were watching, but they had since grown bored and left. But they had been too far away for me to hear them.  
"Claude..." I whisper-hissed, "Claude, wake up!" I softly kicked him with my foot. He stirred and squinted up at me,  
"what?"  
"Let's go inside. Its like one in the morning and I'm mentally exhausted." I huffed. He groaned and turned over, heaving himself up.  
"I thought you were too lazy to get up on your own." I laughed quietly. Claude just rubbed his face and glanced at me, giving me a half-smile. He walked in front of me, yanking my hand, "come on, idiot. I'm tired too."  
As we walked inside the house, Alexander was sitting cross-legged in his chair, reading a book. He just glanced up at me and Claude, who dropped my hand, "Onyx?" he asked, flicking his dark eyes at Claude then back at me.  
"Um, yeah?"  
"You two try and stay quiet, alright?" he responded with his buttery smooth voice, giving a hint of a smirk.  
Where did that come from?! Alexander thinks he can make inappropriate jokes with me?! And him sitting there like a dad waiting for his daughter to come home?! The nerve- wait. Was Claude grinning? At something his cousin said?! The world is officially insane.  
"Yeah, no promises." Claude purred, picking up my hand again and leading me up the stairs. At the top of the stairs I hit him as hard as I could,  
"don't encourage him or make him think that there is anything going on between us, because there is most certainly NOT, okay?!"  
"Come on, that was hilarious. Especially coming from my proper cousin Alexander."  
"That was wildly inappropriate." I said, sounding like a overly-concerned parent.  
"Exactly," Claude smirked, "what? Nobody's got nothing to hear." He reminded me. Suddenly, I felt stupid for making such a big deal out of that.  
He was staring at me, "right?"  
"right WHAT?" I hissed.  
"Right 'no one's got nothing to hear.'"  
I rolled my light blue eyes, "Claude, now is not the time to be such a teenage boy. I've known you for, what, two months almost? If something was gonna happen, it would've already happened."  
I felt a light smack on the back of my head, "will you relax? I'm kidding.  
Oh, and don't forget what I've taught you Onyx, I always get what I want." he grinned, slamming the door to the guest room.  
I stood there stunned, then repeatedly banged on the door, "quit saying those things, you're toying with my head! Just because you can manipulate people, doesn't mean you should!"  
I just heard a laugh come from inside the room.  
"Ahhhh!" I screamed through clenched teeth, the walked to my own room and slammed the door.

I sat in my bed, thinking of what had just happened and my most recent dream. Claude was such an idiot. I had only known him for two months, and he thinks he can just, USE me like he wants, too?! No way! I slammed myself on the matress and turned on my side.  
Who the Hell does he think he is?!  
I heard my door open, and when I glanced up, no one was there. It was only open a little bit, I probably left it open if anything.  
But when I turned on my other side, out of the moonlight, Claude was sitting there.  
"Hey." He grinned.  
I yelled and fell off my bed, landing in a thud on the ground.

"What are you doing in here?!" I whisper-hissed as Claude looked over the bed at me splayed out on the ground.  
"I got lonely." he shrugged, laughing quietly.  
"Go back to your room, now!" I demanded, standing up.  
"No way." he looked at me incredulously, then rested his arms behind his head.  
"Claude, there is no way I'm sleeping in the same-er, room, as you." I looked away, feeling embarrassed to have this conversation.  
"Well, then you're just going to have to use the guest bedroom." he blinked, not moving.  
"No, YOU are!" I grunted, pushing him out of the bed and onto the floor. I leaped in the bed and covered up, "nighty-night Claude."  
He hopped back up and sat on my bed, "I can stay up all night."  
"You said you were tired!" I complained, sitting up as well as giving up.  
"I lied." he replied, simply.  
We sat against my headboard and I turned on my TV, flipping through random channels until I landed on a late-night broadcast of The Breakfast Club. I turned it down to low volume, "I love this movie." I sighed.  
"Really?" Claude asked, not believing it.  
"Yeah, it just...it sets a really good idea of normal teen life." I said softly with heavy eyes.  
"Ah, 'normal.'" Claude said, understanding why I like it.  
"Yeah, see, there's a jock, outcast, popular girl, nerd, and criminal." I said, pointing each one out.  
"Where's the vampire?" Claude asked, deadpan. I laughed a little then said,  
"I believe that would be Twilight."  
"Gross." he winced.  
We sat there naming off modern vampire movies and books and characters for who knows how long and we got Twilight, Vladimir Todd, Dark Shadows, Marceline and Marshall Lee, 30 Days of Night, Buffy, Let Me In, True blood, Abrham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, My Babysitter's a Vampire, we could have went on, but finally we just both stopped and sat together in silence, with our legs crossed, barely hearing but still listening to Judd Nelson on my small TV screen.  
I was finally happy.  
I pulled my black cover up over my legs and tried to keep my head up. It was three in the morning now and I didn't want to go to sleep. I pinched myself in the leg, and when I looked up, Claude was looking at me like I was insane.  
"What?" I asked, defensively.  
"You look like a crack head." he laughed.  
"You're rude, you know that, little boy?"  
"Well, you're-" he trailed off, "whatever." he turned back to the TV. I smiled to myself and discreetly yawned.  
"Just go to sleep." Claude said without taking his eyes off of Ally Sheedy explaining why she hoards other peoples things in her bag.  
"No." I protested. Claude pulled my arm hard and my head fell against his shoulder, but he didn't say anything,  
"You're a brat." He finally mumbled as I fell asleep.  
As I awoke, I found that I had fallen off of Claude and onto the bed, Claude no where in my room. The TV was still on and the pillows were all over the floor, due to me being an insane kicker in my slumber. The suns rays blinded me, and I shielded my eyes. I slipped into my black shorts and slipped on my Marshall Lee sweater. I brushed my hair up into a extremely-messy high bun with a red bandana and flicked on some winged-eyeliner. Ahhhh, Simple. I walked barefoot down the carpeted stairs, skipping ever other one. I breathed in and instantly was filled with the smell of bacon.

Oh my goodness, YES! I thought, as my stomach rumbled. I can't believe mom is making breakfast, she barely came out of her room the other night. Oh, wait. I was supposed to tell her about Derek! Crap! Well, I'll do it next time I see her.  
I burst through the kitchen door and into the sunny room. Everything seemed so bright despite how gloomy the outside looked. Then I noticed, standing there wasn't my mother, it was Claude.  
Oh yeah, my mom is asleep in her makeshift coffin.  
"Morning." he smirked, standing at the stove. He wore only a red plaid shirt resting loosely on his torso that only the first two bottom buttons were fastened, and black cotton pajama pants.  
"Woah, you cook?" was the first thing I responded with.  
"One of my lovable qualities. My grandmother taught me how, taught Alexander too." he responded without taking his eyes off the plate. I snatched a piece of uncooked bacon off the plate without thinking and asked,  
"where is Alexander?" Claude just looked up at me, "right." I said stupidly, remembering he's asleep.  
"You're looking unusually bright today." he said, side-glancing at me.  
I looked down, huh, I did, didn't I? From the red bandana to the dark red on my shirt, and even my bright red painted toenails and fingernails I let Kat paint for fun, "perhaps you're rubbing off on me." I laughed.  
"I do have that affect on people." he said, setting down the bacon on the table, and then sitting himself.  
"This is all you made, bacon? Pounds of bacon?" I said.  
"Yeah, is that a problem?" he looked up at me.  
"No, it's just, this is A LOT of bacon."  
"Shut up and eat." he laughed. I hopped up,  
"want anything to drink?" I looked around, helplessly.  
"what do you have?"  
"um, coffee, cappuccino, Sunny-D, ew, ummm, milk, water, the works I guess."  
"got any blood?" he replied deadpan, looking down at Jameson's newspaper, skimming it.  
"haha. No, really. What do you want?"  
"alright, alright," he smiled, "um, coffee. Yeah." he threw out the first things I said.  
I rolled my eyes and heated it up, loaded it with sugar and creamer. I sat it in front of him and he barely looked at it. He was staring at a newspaper, a bit wide-eyed.  
"whatcha reading?" I asked, eating.  
"Onyx, now, I do NOT want you to freak out, alright?"  
my stomach dropped, "what?"  
"there has been...a body...found."  
I didn't speak. I just stared at the newspaper, debating whether or not I should look at it. If I did, I wouldn't be able to control myself, and if I didn't, well I still won't be able to control myself.  
"In the woods." Claude said, reading from the paper.  
Wait, I don't eat from the woods, "give me that." I plucked the paper from his hands. I looked it over, my eyes skimming it. My face paled out even more. It was from Hipsterville.  
"It's gotta be Derek," I shook my head and threw the paper down, "I told him to eat. I told him to just eat a HUMAN."  
"Look Onyx, you don't know it was him. You don't even know it was a vampire."  
"Yes I do! It has to be him! Look!" I picked up the paper and pointed to where is said, "...she had lost a tremendous amount of blood mysteriously. Local authorities think vampire impersonator is responsible, with the vampire fad trending in the all surrounding towns." wait, she? He killed a girl?! I read the top few lines I had skipped over.  
Savannah Dellamontis, ag-  
"Oh my God." I muttered, feeling completely and utterly sick.  
"what is it?" Claude asked, rising out of his chair.  
"It was a little girl, Claude! She was SEVEN!" I cried, tears streaming running down my face.  
I cried out and fell on the hard kitchen floor and put my face in my hands. Derek killed a seven year old. "HekilledaSEVENyearold!" I cried, running my words together. I rocked back and forth.  
"Onyx-" Claude said, his dark blue eyes turning lighter.  
"Don't. I can't take it this time. We're MONSTERS! My whole family are monsters! DAMN IT, I CAN'T TAKE IT!"  
Claude, for once, was speechless. He didn't even comfort me. He just stood there, looking at me like I had lost it. Had I?  
"What's wrong with us?" I whispered, my words catching in my throat, "why are we like this? I-I don't want to be like this. I'm so scared. I'm so, SO scared. I don't want to kill everyone I love." At this point, I had stopped talking to Claude and was staring past him. My legs were now bent on my knees on either side of me, my hands were limply sitting in the middle. My blue eyes were wide.  
"Onyx, I think-" Claude started, sounding off.  
I helplessly smiled, "I can't live like this." I flicked my eyes up and met his for a brief moment, what I was about to say, I meant it. I meant it so much. I wanted nothing more than for him to follow through on these words,  
"kill me."  
"What?!" Claude asked, his face flickered with fear.  
"You heard me Claude. Kill me. KILL ME! I WANT TO DIE, KILL ME!" I yelled, standing up and put my hands on my chest,  
"I WANT YOU TO KILL ME!"  
Claude grasped my wrists in his pale hands, "Onyx, shut the Hell up! I'm not going to kill you, you idiot! You are not a monster, do you understand me?!" he had a look of anger and pain on his face.  
I just slowly nodded, "yes. Yes. I am a monster. I'm going to kill you one day. I don't want to Claude. Then I'm going to kill Tripp and Kat and the others, and Raven. I have to. I'm going to."  
Claude looked unsure of me and said, "Onyx I want you to tell me something, alright?"  
My mouth parted slightly, but only my eyes flickering to his said okay.  
"Why-why are your eyes...suddenly red? You're just hungry, okay? It's just withdrawal. Calm down..."  
I shook my head, his face flickered with recognition. That's not why my eyes were red. He knew my eyes get dark blue when I was hungry, because of my weak state.  
"What...are you?"  
"Evil," I said surely, "I'm evil, Claude."


	22. Jagger

It's been an hour, and I'm sitting on the cold kitchen floor. My knees are up to my chin and I'm sure I look like a hot mess. My mouth is partly open, I want to explain so badly to him what I mean when I say I'm evil. Why my eyes are red. He hasn't been able to look at me for the past hour, either. Occasionally he'll glance at me, but when I catch his eye, he looks away. I can't tell in what, but probably disgust. He can't look at me in my eyes. I want to tell him my eyes are red because I'm cursed, and I'm scared. I want to tell him they're red because I'm slowly losing it, this is one step closer. That my eyes are red because I snapped and I have to sit here and forcefully make sure I don't get up and kill him. I want Claude to comfort me and tell me no I'm not, I'm not a monster. Why is this any different from the other times I've messed up? Why isn't he making me laugh? Is he tired of me? I'm so sorry, Claude. I'm a basket-case. And I don't want you to be scared of me.  
Tears freely fall from my cheeks to the floor. I want to tell him that I freaked out so bad about Derek and th-the little girl because...I killed one, too.  
It was the first person I killed.  
She was eight, and I didn't know her. But...I killed her.  
I KILLED HER!

* * *

"Tori! Come play with me!" a little girl in a yellow sundress cried.  
"Alright!" She replied, happily skipping over to her best friend.  
She picked up a purple spotted ball and threw it with all her might at her best friend. She caught it and returned it. This went on for about an hour until her old brother of about 11, even though he gets mistaken for 15 all the time, came outside, "what are you idiots doing?" he yelled flatly.  
"Get out of here, Christofer! We're playing with my ball, okay?!" Tori yelled. Her brother hated her. She hated him. She had no idea why, or why her brother was so pale and never had to go to school with her, but all she knew was that she did hate him for some reason. The scariest part was that their parents thought they loved each other. What was so scary about it was, they acted like they loved each other, so they weren't doing it to get the most attention. It was _pure _hatred.  
"Lemme see it." he grinned, his strawberry blonde hair hitting his pale forehead. Tori knew if she argued, he'd hit her. And she didn't want to be embarrassed like that in front of her best friend. He snatched it away from her and she nervously petted her own light red hair. She hated the color, too. She was a hateful child.  
Chris stared at the ball and then seemingly stared at the woods for a second too long, then winding his leg back, he kicked it all the way over the trees and a dull thud was heard. He put his hand in his pockets a smirked at Tori, "go get it."  
"You're a monster!" she cried, tears pooling at her eyes.  
"Yeah, so what?" he said in a monotone, his hair breezing in his caramel eyes. He stared straight at her as he said it, looking through her. She turned and ran and ran until she was in the woods, not knowing where she was, but she didn't care. She didn't want to be by him anymore, he was scaring her. Usually, he wouldn't be so distant, or especially mean so quickly. Something was wrong with him.  
It was a cool Romanian day, after a bit, Tori got cold but she wanted her ball so she could rub it in his face and win.  
She came along a little man made path that trailed off from the other one. She swore she saw her ball under a fallen branch, "ah!" she exclaimed in smugness, not thinking twice about leaving the path.  
Oh, how she should have.  
She brushed off her favorite purple spotted ball, then dropped it in shock. She gasped to herself a little. Sitting no more than ten feet away from her was a girl about her age, probably a year older, sitting on a tree branch. She had jet black hair and was taller than Tori. Tori took a step back, making no noise. But the girls head snapped up. Her eyes were wild and crazy, and icy blue.  
Tori knew this wasn't safe at ALL. She knew there were people killing people in her town, and no one was ruled out from being a suspect. But, she didn't run away. Almost instantly, the girl was in front of Tori. She just stared down at her, with wide eyes. Her eye's slowly turned from icy blue, to dark blue...to red.  
"Hello." Tori said, in a small voice.  
the girl stared.  
"I'm V-"  
"I don't want to know your name!" the girl cried, in what looked like self-conflict.  
Tori shut up, she had no idea what was wrong with this girl. When she had found her voice she asked, "what do you want?"  
"to die." she said flatly, looking up at the sky. She said it as if she had recited it 100 times.  
"w-why?" Tori said, backing up.  
"Because."  
"Because why?"  
"BECAUSE." she raised her voice, closing her eyes in frustration.  
"Why won't you tell me?" Tori asked. Even in the face of danger, she was stubborn. Too stubborn.  
"You want me to tell you?" she laughed darkly. They were moving backwards step by step, the girl put her hand up on every tree branch as they went along.  
"Yes." Tori squeaked, backing up into a tree. There was no getting out.  
"Because I _kill _things." she smirked in a sinister way. The way her red eyes flicked to Tori's made her cry out. Everything moved so quickly after this. The ball was thrown at the girls head, smacking her in the nose. She yelled out something and Tori had no chance of running. She took her down in as little as five seconds, and in pure rage, sunk her protruding fangs into this little girls neck, without regret. At the time.  
With blood running down her chin and the sound of feet running through the forest and people yelling "Tori! Tori!", Onyx didn't look back as she ran to her mansion. The last thing she remembered before she ran back into her room pretending she never snuck out in the first place, was a purple spotted ball rolling towards her feet.  
And THAT is the story of her first kill.

* * *

I snapped back to the present, now delirious. I thrashed my feet, trying to escape my dream. I didn't want to remember killing her. I wanted to die. Oh, right. I wanted to die...I forgot.  
I sat up instantly, and looked around. Why wasn't I in the kitchen? Why was I in Alexander's living room?  
My eyes adjusted to the light and I noticed my surroundings.  
"Her eyes are still red." I heard a voice. Kat was looming over me, but when my piercing eyes met her normally green ones, she backed up a few steps.  
I looked to the right of her, and Tripp was side glancing at me with a displeased, or was it curious, look on his face. He was talking to Claude and Rocco, who also glanced at me. I sat there like freak. Claude. Claude couldn't even look at me. When he did, he just scoffed the tiniest bit and walked right out of the house.  
"GO TO HELL!" I yelled after him, the words flying out of my mouth. I didn't try to cover it. What's the use? I was in a room full of people I wanted to kill without knowing I did. I let my arms fall to my sides in defeat. I lolled my head to the side and caught Tripp's eye. He seemed to be the only one who never broke eye contact with me.  
"How're you feeling?" he smirked.  
I laughed darkly, "just fine. I want to kill all of you. Other than that, I've had a swell day." I saw Kat seize up when I uttered this sentence from the corner of my eye. I looked at her, and she couldn't look at me. It pissed me off, "what? Are you scared?" I sneered, "don't be. I won't hurt you." I laughed again. Knowing what a complete lie that was. I stood up abruptly, everyone but Tripp stood back, even Rocco.  
"I need to leave." I grinned, tilting my head to the right, weighing out my options.  
"W-why?" Kat asked, unsure how to handle me like this. She's right to be scared. I'm no longer myself, no longer Onyx, i'm a vampire.  
"Because, Kat, _I'M HUNGRY._" I replied, my red nails gripping the door frame.  
"Stay in here, Onyx." Tripp said without taking his eyes off of his Iphone.  
"EXCUSE me?" I clawed at the door, "don't tell me what to do right now! I will KILL YOU RIGHT HERE AND NOW!"  
"So...do it." he shrugged simply. That caught me off guard I stood there contemplating it. Should I? It wouldn't be hard at all...  
I found myself just walking out the door instead. I needed to go kill someone. I needed to gain control of my want to kill. I needed to kill to calm down.  
I trudged down the first few steps and paused to even find out where I was going. I couldn't go kill someone in broad daylight, even I knew that when I went crazy. I could go into the woods, but then risk getting caught by hunters. It was a lose/lose.  
But then of course, that's when Trevor and three of his soccer friends milled by my house. Walking almost straight past it, until they saw me. I tapped my nude lips, thinking. Could I kill him right now? Of course. Will I?  
_Yes_.  
I slowly walked down the last steps, noticing that no one came to get me. Not even Tripp. Weird. I slipped on my Ray Bands and walked down the gravel path, my bare feet stepping on every single rock on the ground, but I didn't care. I just wanted this to be done.  
"Hey babe." Trevor commented, sizing up my toned down outfit and unusual sunglasses in the cloudy weather.  
"Trevor," I started, putting on my best flirtatious voice I could muster, "what's up?"  
"Hungover?" he said sarcastically. His friends laughed with him at me. Why did I think he was any different from any other time. The time at the mall where he walked away from me without a fight was obviously a fluke.  
"Andy, Tommy, Brady," I started without taking my eyes off of Trevor, "why don't you go to the mall or something. I need to..._converse _with Trevor." they all bursted out with "oohs".  
"Shut up, go." Trevor commanded, and they all scampered off like the dogs they were, "what, Onyx?"  
I stepped closer to him, "listen, we both know that you want me."  
"Did you fall and smack your head on the pavement?" he questioned, taken aback.  
I ignored him, "tell me truthfully, if I threw myself at you right now, you wouldn't walk away."  
He was silent. I could see the stunned look behind his eyes, even though he tried to hide it.  
"exactly." I grinned wickedly.  
"why are you doing this?" he asked, with a hint of doubt. If I was my normal self, this would have stunned me. Right now, I couldn't care less if he broke down crying. This was the first time I snapped while I was here in Dullsville. Well, the first time I went crazy. There was the time after Trevor and Matt's fight that I got mad enough to get really angry, but never go fully insane. Sad part is, this isn't even my final stage. I'm not even sure if this is my curse! This could just be another thing wrong with me!  
"Because. Obviously if I can't have you no one can." I replied without missing a beat. He flinched a little, but then he replied, "Onyx, you're insane if you think I'm gonna hook up with you."  
I faltered, "what?"  
"Listen, don't tell anyone this. Like really, if you do, I'll kill you," I rolled my eyes at the iron-icy of it all as he went on, "But...I don't see you as an object like that. I mean, yeah, you're smokin' hot, but I just don't see us getting together. Of course, I want to, man do I want to, but I won't. I'll still be an ass to you, though." he folded his arms across his chest and flipped his honey blonde hair.  
Alright, this was too weird, "But I was sure- I mean, when you pinned me against the locker-"  
"that you thought I hated you? Yeah, I friggin' hated you when you got here. But...whatever. I guess I just got too attached to you. Onyx, listen, I have NO idea why, but it seems like you put a spell on me. I just can't hate you. Well, when I'm away from you, I do. When I get close to you like now, I don't. Weird." he shrugged.  
Of course. I was a nympho vampire, right? Or did he just fall in love with me? Wait, wait! I don't care right now! I'm so hungry...  
I felt frustrated tears in the corners of my eyes. I slowly shook my head and whispered, "I'm so sorry Trevor-" and then I quickly stepped up to him, as if to bite him. But...he hugged me instead.  
"Listen, Onyx, you're pretty cool...for a freak. Also, I'm not going to stop fighting with you."  
I just stood there. I couldn't move, or I'd attack his throat. I just nodded as one hot tear ran down my face. He just looked at me like I was crying over him, this was all so stupid. I'm also guessing my eyes cooled down to a normal-ish reddish-brown, since my glasses fell off when I ran to him. But the hunger still burned in me.  
"I gotta go." he said, looking back, "remember, don't tell anyone."  
"Only if you don't tell anyone I tried to, uh, seduce you, I guess." I managed to mumble.  
he smiled and his white teeth shown, "alright. I gotta get back to Luna, anyway."  
_Luna._ I thought. She was bad news and Trevor was gonna get hurt. Plus...shes asleep now, right?  
I held myself back as long as I could, until finally I collapsed on the ground. My back racked with pain and I dry-heaved, my hands clawing at the sidewalk. Slowly, a shadow loomed over me. Crap. Was Trevor back? I looked up and it was Claude. He looked so stunned. His eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly open. He looked concerned and pissed.  
"what?!" I shouted, my eyes fixed on the ground, "did you come to yell at me, huh?! Just leave me here, alright!?" tears spilled from my burning eyes to the ground. I cried out as another pang of fire hit my stomach. I sobbed as it lingered. I guess this is what people feel when they say they're hungry. I've never been starving, but I bet this is one hundred times worse. I guarantee it.  
I felt a hand on my head. I knew it was him, but I was too distracted.  
"can you stand?" he asked in a hard voice.  
I shook my head like a little kid.  
he sighed like I was an inconvenient and picked me up, "let me go." I fought.  
"Like hell I will." he scoffed, ignoring me.  
"God I wanna rip into your throat right now." I clawed at my skin to keep from clawing into _him. _  
"Slow down babe. Plenty of time for that later." he deadpanned.  
I laughed bitterly, "you can read my mind." But then another emotion hit me. I let my nails trail his pale, cold neck, over a scar that started from his ear to the middle of his neck. It seemed that he was more tan than I was. He probably was. He froze a second, holding me at the top of the path, "what are you doing, Onyx?" he mumbled slightly, sounding more angry than surprised.  
"nothing." I could feel 'evil' self telling me, _Here's an idea, Idiot, make him WANT to bite you! Make him think you're in pain and dying, that would work, right?! This is your chance! Do it, Onyx, and it'll be over...for now._  
I froze my hand. Make Claude ask to bite me, am I being serious?  
After Claude started walking again, I just wanted to bite him so bad. I started again and let my hand rest at the base of his bleached ends. I could throw him to the ground and rip into him. I wanted to...  
But, I was dropped on my feet suddenly and pinned against a tree in no time, both my hands pinned up, so I wouldn't swing at him. Looking up slightly, I saw Claude's glowing blue eyes look into mine, "listen Onyx. This side of you needs to stop, do you understand me?"  
"I can't help it." I whispered, meaning it.  
"Well, it's getting really annoying for me!"  
"why for you?!" I practically shouted incredulously.  
"Because you're freaking me out and hitting on me at the same time and it's getting frustrated to choose which side to give in to first." he yelled in a deep voice. He threw his hands up and walked away like it was obvious. I just stood there, stunned. How could I have been so stupid? Claude thought I was hitting on him, well I was kinda, but he should have just known not to give into me. He should know that I wasn't being serious, it was just to get a rise out of him, to freak him out, to make him worry or get mad, even.  
Woah, woah. _Wait. _Does...Claude..._like _me?

* * *

Back in the house, all the vampires were sitting together in the living room. Even Alexander, because the sun_just _went down, and he was fetched by Jameson who knew what was going on. I guess I had been out for longer than I thought. Kat and Tripp sat together on the small couch, talking about who knows what. Jameson was nowhere to be found. Alexander was on the bigger couch, his thumb and index finger massaging his head, he was thinking. His legs were crossed. Rocco was next to Claude. It had only been about ten minutes after my episode with Claude. He was sitting as far away from Alexander as possible, I noted, sitting backwards on a wooden chair. His head was resting on his arms, which were resting on the back of the chair. He was looking at the ground, sort of relaxed looking. Well, he looked like he was just tired. So was I. But I was still hungry. Even more so now.  
What really made it worse was who I wanted to bite. No one else but him. That pissed me off to no extent because _I _didn't want to bite him, my instincts did. He had made me mad, so that made me want to bite him. But then he interested me, so now I REALLY want to bite him. It's a weird vampire thing, how should I know?!  
After I entered the room, slamming the door, they all looked at me. Alexander shifted a bit, so did Kat, but other than that, no one moved. Claude's piercing blue eyes looked right into my still red ones, and it felt like something hit me. Alexander whipped out the remote and turned the TV off in a hurry, but it was too late. I had seen what was on. The newscast about the little dead girl in the next town over. With the marks found all over her body. I wrung my hands together, as another flashback of the dead little girls body on the news back at Romania hit me. The one I caused.  
The little girl I killed.  
I cried out in pain as it flashed through my brain mixed with another pang of hunger. I leaned against the doorway and tried to muffle my screams of anguish. Kat was up in a hurry and despite me trying to throw her off, I let go and let her sit me beside her on the couch. Tripp was to my left, Kat to my right.  
"I shouldn't be near you." I shivered.  
"Like Hell I care, Onyx." Kat said with renewed confidence I knew she had. She must have been scared like Hell to not be her usual confident self around me. Jameson looked at me and called Alexander over to him. Everyone started talking again, and the room was no longer filled with silence. I pulled my knees up to my chest and stared off into space.  
Kat looked into my eyes, "amazing." she mumbled.  
I just looked at her with my fiery irises and she said, "I mean. You look so different. Like a-" she trailed off.  
"Say it." I muttered.  
"a-a _vampire_."  
"I'm sorry to ruin your fun, but I think she is a vampire, Kitty-Kat." Tripp quipped. Kat growled very softly, but I heard her. She hated being called that, especially by Tripp. When I looked around the room, I met Claude's eyes. He looked back at Rocco, and he looked totally fine. He flipped his hair out of his eyes and the hunger grew again. What was this feeling?  
"I want to bite him." I mumbled, barely audible.  
"What? Who?" Kat responded, obviously hearing him. Tripp was listening, too, I knew it.  
"Claude." I whispered, putting my head between my legs to keep from rushing up and killing him. I heard Tripp let out an intrigued "hm" and I knew he was grinning.  
"Woah, _what?_" Kat asked again.  
"I don't know how to make this any more simpler," I started slowly, "I want...to bite...him and only him. So, so badly."  
"Why him?" Tripp asked. I was right, he was grinning.  
"It's a vampire thing, how should I know? I've never had this feeling before towards another vampire."  
"what about us?"  
"you I just want to _kill_. I don't want to kill Claude. Just, uh, feast upon his vampiric blood."  
"how comforting." Kat replied.  
I suddenly felt like someone else was looking at me. I looked up at Claude and it wasn't him. But Alexander was standing closer to me with a bewildered look on his face. I knew he heard. And wanted me to come talk to him. I sighed and sat up, still shaken from the flashbacks.  
"Onyx, what did you just say?" he asked, when we were alone by the stairs.  
"I just...I don't know! I just want to..._feed_ off of him and him alone." I replaced bite with feed because I just couldn't utter it anymore.  
Alexander replied, "Onyx. When a vampire fee-" he started.  
Suddenly, my mother ran down the stairs. I didn't know she was even here. I couldn't look at her.  
"what is it?" Alexander asked as if it was nothing.  
"My son's in trouble. I can feel it."  
I was supposed to tell her about Derek! "Mom, listen," I started, looking directly into her eyes.  
"Onyx, I can't right now..." she trailed off as she dropped her suitcase and ever so slowly took my face in her hands, "Oh, Onyx, you _are _cursed. I'm so sorry" tears pooled in her eyes, as she whispered the last three words. I dropped my pupils to the carpet because even midst all the chaos and pain in my system, emotional tears sprang to mine too. I nodded my head, "that's me." I tried to joke, even though I sounded more hostile. I was pulled into a hug in front of everyone and I could smell the Chanel n. 5 on her neck and I didn't want to let go. Suddenly the realization hit me. "What's wrong with Derek?!"  
"I have no idea," she straightened up, "but I know somethings wrong. I feel like...he needs me."  
"Mom, listen," I said in a hurry, "last night I was supposed to tell you that he needed to see right away. He left again. He's in the next town over, okay? Go find him! He's not been staying with others, I have no idea what he's been doing!"  
she stopped cold, "the next town over...with the dead little girl?" her voice was stone cold.  
I nodded, indicating I had thought of that too. She shuddered and hurried to the door with her suitcase. I paused as another realization hit me. I ran over my words, "mom...is Derek cursed, too?"  
She turned back around to face me as she held open the door, it seemed like forever before she answered me, "yes, Onyx, he is." her voice was barely a whisper. She slammed the door shut, stunning the room into silence.  
A scream stuck in my throat as I remembered the night he told me to go get mom. His eyes weren't red from hunger, our eyes don't do that! How stupid was I?! His eyes were red because...  
he snapped.

* * *

Derek's cursed. I let that thought hit me. It took a while to sink in, but it finally did.  
"I have to go." I said, distracted. I bounded up the stairs without looking back at anyone. I burst into my room and scared my kittens off the bed. I pulled on my leather leggings and my boots with my long skull sweater I wore on Halloween. I swept my hair into a high ponytail and examined my eyes as I applied eyeliner. They were STILL red! The pangs were getting worse, yet it became easier to ignore them. I threw my Skeleanimal backpack that contained my cell phone, emergency tights and eyeliner, and the anecdote for garlic.  
"Where are you going?" Alexander said, silently appearing at my door.  
"I have to go find my brother." I searched for nothing in particular. I pushed past Alexander and into my brothers room, looking for clues.  
"Onyx, your mother will handle this, leave it to her."  
"Alexander, think. If this was Raven, would you let Jameson or Becky go search for her alone?"  
he was silent, but he had a disapproving look in his eyes.  
"I _need _to go." I clutched his arm. He faltered,  
"I'm not going to say no, because you'll go anyway."  
I turned around and started shifting through his papers on his vanity. "come ON, there has to be SOMETHING in here I can use as a clue!" Alexander gracefully moved his way over to the table and picked up a buisness card, "like this?" he pondered. I snatched it from his hand and examined it,  
"perfect!" It was a buisness card for the Coffin Club.  
"I...have to go back there?" I muttered, "fine." I shoved the card in my backpack and pushed past Alexander and raced down the stairs without a word to anybody.  
"Claude," Alexander said, "I need to talk to you."

* * *

The last bus ran an hour ago, so I'm stuck walking to the Coffin Club. At least it's not raining this time. I had no idea where I was going, just trying to follow the address on the business card. I really didn't know what I expected to find at the club, everyone dead? Derek sitting on a pile of dead wannabe-vampires? I couldn't even think about it. Because on the other side of things, I'm. Starving. I now have come to a realization that my eyes won't dim down unless I've eaten something. I'm past the "going crazy" stage, but now I'm ravenously hungry. I could see the lights of Hipsterville and I was directly in the suburbs. I trudged along, seeing a few hipsters and goths dressed for a night on the town. They were all laughing, not giving me a second look. For a while I thought I was invisible, since I was used to getting so many looks. Then I remembered everyone was weird here.  
"you!" I heard a shout in front of me. When I looked up, I saw a girl pointing a gloved finger at me. She had a cotton candy pink bob you'd expect to find on a K-pop singer. But it was real.  
"Me?" I asked, confused.  
"Yeah, YOU, where'd you find those shoes?!" she asked, wide eyed. A guy that was her age milled behind her, used to her shenanigans.  
"Um, Romania?" I replied slowly, what was her deal?  
"damn! I thought you found 'em in that 'Vampire.' store in that other town." she stamped her foot. The chains leading all the way up her arms rattled.  
"No. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find someone." I pushed past her.  
"Hey, wait a minute! Who're you looking for!?" she shouted back.  
I decided to play it safe, in case Derek didn't want anyone he met to find out I was looking for him, or for all I know, these people could be his enemies. But hey, who could hate Derek?  
"Uhm, Jagger." I spit out before I could stop myself.  
Even the boys eyes were wide at this point, "Jagger? As in the guy with the different coloured eyes?"  
I stupidly nodded my head.  
The girl glanced at the boy, "should we tell her?" she mumbled.  
"Tell. Me." I threatened.  
her eyes widened, "Fine. Fine. He was supposed to go to Summerfest with this pale goth chick and her jock boyfriend, but then the concert got moved to tomorrow because of some freak accident one band had on the road, I have no idea. But anyway, so he's staying somewhere around the Coffin Club." she rambled.  
"Why do you know so much of this stuff about him?"  
"Sha, he's like a local celebrity!" she giggled and grabbed the guys hand and walked away. She turned back hesitantly but then waved. "I like your fangs!" she called.  
I smiled wide.  
Finally, I made it into the city. I was in line for the club, with my fake ID at the ready. I was pushed and prodded, getting more and more frustrated. But I made it to the front of the line. I sighed loudly and provided my ID to the bouncer.  
"Onyx Beauregard?" He asked before even looking at my ID.  
"Yes?" I asked hesitantly. I had most peoples attention now since most people just waltz in.  
"what's the hold up?!" someone yelled from the back. Many people groaned in agreement.  
"Will you SHUT UP?!" I yelled to them, eyes glowing and fangs showing.  
"I'm sorry, but you can't go in."  
"why NOT?"  
"You snuck in last time. We were told you are not to be let in unless with, eh, 'special permission.'"  
I swallowed. I knew what that meant. "I think you should go ask..._him_."  
"who, exactly?" he smiled, loving the power he had over me this time since last time I completely fooled him.  
I swallowed even harder, "Jagger." I said evenly, not letting him have the upper hand. I heard gasps from behind me in the crowd.  
"yeah, right. Like she'd know him."  
"for real. Jagger never comes up to get people, especially vampire posers like her." I couldn't help but grin at that.  
"Yeah, listen ma'am, he's a bit busy-"  
"Never too busy for my _fans_." Jagger appeared out of no where. He was leaning against the black door frame. A lot of people gasped, some didn't even realize what was happening until I said,  
"Jagger. Let me in."  
"what's the password." he smirked, his white fangs glowing. I just stood there with my eyes on his. He reached out and poked my nose, "oh how cute. You're embarrassed. I was kidding, come on."  
"Let me in, too! I deserve it more plus I've been waiting LONGER!" the same girl who was yelling the whole time said. I looked back at her as Jagger grabbed my hand and I snickered,  
"bite me."  
I looked around. Nothing much had changed, the fortune tellers tents were gone. Must have been a weekly visit. Pulsing music bounced off every corner and the glittering black floor shone under the house lights. Vampire-wannabes, Cybergoths, and just plain Goths were sitting around milling about. Even a few Punks were here. Jagger dropped my hand in the middle of the walking space.  
"what?" I demanded, pushing two girls out of my way. Jagger just lowered his eyes and placed a wicked grin upon his lips. He brought his eyes back up to mine.  
"I said, '_what_?'" I repeated, harshly.  
"you're eyes, silly." he mocked, running his hand through his hair. The red ends fell in front of his eyes.  
"what about them." I retorted, shifting my eyes anywhere but in his eyesight.  
"you're insane." he laughed, as if it was funny.  
"yeah, what about it?" I grabbed him by his black shirt and realized how hostile I probably looked to the innocent club-goers. He smiled and said,  
"I knew you would eventually. But never so soon."  
"Listen Maxwell, alright? I have no idea why you're so interested in me, or any of my life for that matter. Especially since I'm already un-dead, so what is there for you to gain, huh? Because it's really making me mad."  
Jagger seemed to ponder that thought for a while. He stood there thinking until he slyly smirked and just grabbed my hand and whisked me to where we first "met". He lead me to the black spiral staircase, "I know how to walk up the stairs." I snapped. He just laughed as if it were all one big joke, "alright, alright."  
He slammed the door and the floor to ceiling windows overlooked the city lights of Hipsterville.  
"what are we doing up here?" I huffed. I sat down as another pain surged through my stomach. I tried to hide it, to no avail obviously.  
"thought we could have somewhere more private to talk." he looked me up and down. It made me feel uncomfortable even though I should be used to Jagger being creepy like this.  
"about what, exactly?"  
"anything that crosses your little mind."  
"where's Trevor and Luna?" I stalled, thinking on my feet.  
"I sent my sister with pretty boy to go see a movie." he responded, examining to drinking glass.  
"are you really twins?" I started to get really interested.  
"Yeah, why do you ask?"  
"because...you seem different in a way."  
"If you're referring to the vampirism, I was born this way and Luna was turned by one of my friends."  
"talk about hooking up," I mumbled, "was it-"  
"on sacred ground? No. Of course, to Luna's protest." he sighed.  
"oh but why would someone want to be tied down for eternity. There are other fish in the sea." I said airily as I crossed my legs.  
Jagger laughed a bit darkly, "you don't get it, do you?"  
"obviously not." I replied bitterly.  
"It's not about being with that person, it's about being a real vampire. Taking someone as your own, owning them. It's really one of the best parts about being a vampire. To claim someone for yourself." he looked directly in my eyes as he uttered the last part. A shiver went down my spine and I replied,  
"you know I'm not a real vampire."  
"half of you is." he smiled.  
"Jagger, why me? Why do you want _me?_"  
"because others want you, so I do too."  
"what do you mean?" I wondered out loud.  
Jagger chuckled, "you really are dim, aren't you? Can you not see how bad the kid wants you? Speaking as a vampire...of course."  
"what?" I sighed in frustration.  
Jagger stood up swiftly and moved over to me, perched on the ledge of the couch, "_Claude! _He wants to claim you, I can see it every time he's around you. Have you noticed how he hates it when you're alone with a boy like Alexander or Trevor? Hmm?"  
I let the thought sink in, "that's because he hates both of them!"  
"Does he? Or is he placing his mark on you? Is this for his own evil game? Perhaps he's doing this to get closer to vampire traditions, therefore, what he _really _wants. To be a real vampire." he laughed as he walked behind me.  
"shut up Jagger. If he wanted to be close to me, he wouldn't have tried to bite Raven." I heard Jagger stop moving, and I smirked.  
"he tried to get the next best thing." Jagger concluded, seeming to have all the answers.  
"Aw, how sweet." I said monotonously.  
"what about my Alexander?"  
I stopped, "what?"  
"I can tell he wants you too."  
"Jagger. Stop." I was getting frustrated. There was no way Alexander wanted anyone but Raven.  
"haven't we all, though?"  
"_what_?"  
he flopped back on his chair, lounging, "back in my childish days, like two months ago, I tried to bite her too. Raven. Now she's a full vampire, so what's the point? I don't need her _that _much."  
"what? Raven? She's not-" I paused, deciding that maybe she didn't want anyone finding out that she's not a vampire. Jagger is an odd character, maybe he thinks shes a vampire, "er, nothing. So...you wanted Raven, too?"  
"does that bother you?" he grinned.  
Honestly?  
It did. It bothered me that Jagger wanted someone else instead of me. Normally, if I hadn't of snapped, I would've walked out of here without hesitation. But I'm hungry and he was making me mad, which in return made all my thoughts jumble inside my head and focus on one thing. Food.  
I laid back as a huge pain entered my stomach, making its way to my throat, which is now burning like a fire from Hell. As if _thinking _about food made me hungry.  
"Ohhh, I see," he grinned, "you're _hungry_."  
"No, I'm not." I grimaced.  
"yes you are."  
"Jagger no-" I pleaded.  
Jagger didn't listen to me as he once again grabbed my hand, but I restrained, "where are we going?" I demanded.  
"You obviously need food and I need you to cooperate, so let's eat." he shrugged.  
I pulled my hand back, "No! I-I'm not going to go eat some random innocent person."  
Jagger looked up and out the window. He mumbled, "oh, yeah? Since when?"  
I scoffed in disgust as I stood up to leave, "wait. How about I make a little proposition?" he grinned. I looked up at him in his mismatched eyes,  
"I don't want anything you have to offer me, Jagger." I replied surely.  
"so, you don't want my blood in your system?"  
"No," I said a second too long, "I-I just don't want to feel like this anymore! Hungry and gross and...evil."  
"then let me help you. But not here." He went and held the door open for me, "after you." I scoffed and rolled my eyes. No way was I drinking Jagger's blood. The thought was almost laughable. Almost.  
"By the way, the evil side of you? Hotter than normal. Don't worry."  
"thanks. I was so worried about that." I replied. Secretly, I was flattered. Everyone else seemed to be so disgusted about my other side, and even scared of me. Even Kat. I could tell even Tripp was a little offset about me!  
But Jagger...he liked me like this. He welcomed my terrifying evil side.  
((But Apollo was better, nyeh~))((Yes, yes, thank you Sara we all know you love Apollo!:3))  
He thought I was okay, and that made me the littlest bit happy. Oh, who am I kidding? I was really happy that someone accepted my freakish side. I let Jagger drag me through the club, but surprisingly we didn't leave. We just went down to the basement to his old room, which had since been somewhat cleared out. His coffin was gone, but the soil was still there. The papers on the wall were gone, leaving reminiscences of a punk bedroom I had seen maybe one or two weeks ago. I let my hand trail the wall and turned to face Jagger.  
I'm scared to the point I might fall for him. Jagger, I mean. I mean, really. Jagger?  
"hmm?" he asked, as if I had said something out loud.  
"I didn't say anything." I mumbled, avoiding his eyes.  
"What are you thinking?" He asked, sitting on a lonely black fold up chair.  
"I just, want the pain to stop," I tried to conceal my tears of pain, but they ran down my face, "damn it!"  
Jagger looked at me not with pity or like he felt embarrassed for me, but like a...human being.  
"how do you think I feel when I'm hungry?"  
"huh?" I said absent-mindedly.  
"I'm a full fledged vampire," he reminded me, pointing to himself, "at least half vampires, or whatever you are can survive on food for a while. I can't. I get this feeling...about every week."  
I had forgot about that, "wow, I must look pathetic."  
"nah, it's totally understandable." he waved it off. I stared at him for too long  
"why do you act like a total tool, you're not a bad guy, Jagger." I blurted, wanting to say that for about an hour now.  
"Oh, no, I am, don't worry. But I just have that off moment where I'm nice." he smirked, sharing a joke with himself. I just laughed it off and sat on the ground, letting my arms hang between my knees. I heard Paramore coming from somewhere, and all that filled the room was that. I sighed, letting my body do what it wants.  
"Jagger?"  
"Yeah?"  
"I'm ready to...to bite you now."  
"Good." he replied, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

* * *

I was standing next to him, Paramore sailing in from outside. And I just remembered thinking, "was I really going to do this?" Well, probably I was. I had to. What other choice did I have?  
starve? No way. I would leave behind so many things. My boring home, Claude, Kat, all them...even Raven.  
"how should we do this?" I asked, feeling awkward despite my eagerness to shake this feeling and be back to my old, alert self.  
"lets go someplace more private." he smiled, revealing fangs.  
"really, like where?" I wrinkled my nose.  
"There's a cemetery over there." he nonchalantly pointed to a small hill with creepy trees and old tombstones.  
I hesitantly took Jagger's hand, "Well, alright." I said. And off we went, me leading the way.  
It was dark, almost so dark not even the city lights could peek through the brush, but luckily, seeing in the dark is a "perk" of being a vampire freak. I swiveled my head to make sure Jagger was safely behind me. Suddenly, an unexplainable creepy feeling crept throughout my entire body. As he grew closer, the moonlight highlighting every single inch of his face, yet it cast a sinister shadow on him. He grinned, searching me up and down, and a beam of light caught his fangs. I suddenly felt my body grow colder than before, and for a moment I ignored the pangs of agony, I saw what was really happening here. I didn't want this from Jagger, or even Claude, I just wanted to go home.  
To Romania.  
I stopped backing up and I felt my mouth fall open. Had I really just thought that? Home? To Romania? Was I joking?! That was the one place I tried to avoid, and I missed it? A niggling little feeling in the back of my mind screamed that I didn't really want to, but I knew I did.  
My mind jolted back to the present and I focused on the situation at hand. I looked towards Jagger, who had his eyebrows raised and was leaning on a crumbling old nameless grave. The trees seemed to be closing in, I quickly racked my brains for questions to stall Jagger with, "so? Ar-are you and Luna the only Maxwell kids?"  
The question seemed to take Jagger by surprise as he ran his hands through his hair, "actually no."  
"wait, what?" I fumbled. I just asked that to take his mind off of me, I didn't actually expect an answer like that, "who else IS there?" I pressed.  
Jaggers eyes grew darker as he looked towards the way we came, "I've said to much. Let's get this over with."  
I scoffed, "get it over with? Alright then." I motioned for him to come towards me and I let my brain take over. I was no longer myself, I was a vampire yet again. Letting instinct take me over, not thought nor feeling, just want, want, want. I gripped Jagger's wrist and pulled him towards me, "ow." he winced and I smirked to myself, "suck it up, Jagger." I lifted my eyes from his neck and slowly looked around myself. I knew somehow my mind would wind back up to him, but I just needed him here. The part of me that wasn't terrifying panicked and knew something was wrong, but I just can't place it! At all. It's right there in front of my eyes, but somehow, the evil side of me won.  
"Jagger?" I whispered, my black mouth inches away from his porcelain neck.  
"hmm?" he replied, almost impatiently. I sighed, "why are you doing this?"  
Once again, I could heat the smile in his voice, "helping out a friend."  
I rolled my eyes and moved closer, and closer, until I could finally feel the skin on the tip of my fang. I pressed down harder-  
"Onyx!" I heard a yell. I jolted in surprise, pressing against Jagger's neck, and stumbled backwards. I heard a low growl from Jagger take the place of silence in the air. I instantly knew who it was.  
"What the Hell were you doing?!" he yelled again.  
"Claude." my scratchy voice caught in my throat as I softly nodded to myself. I fell backwards, leaning on a grave, my old self regaining its rightful place. He had come to help me. He cared. He really cared. Tears streamed down my face as I silently watched Jagger stand in front of Claude.  
"what are you doing with her?" Claude boomed again, glancing at me.  
"Oh, Claude, relax. We were just having fun. I know how badly you want her to bite you, I had to beat you to it." he shrugged, as if it were so simple. Claude's eyes widened, and he pushed past Jagger, over to me. Jagger just stood there with his arms folded across his chest, a smug look on his face.  
"Onyx. Onyx!" Claude worried, taking my shoulders in his hands. A jolt, the tiniest jolt, ran up my spine.  
"huh?" I said meekly.  
"Did. You. Bite. Him?" he enunciated every word. I opened my mouth a bit wider to feel for any droplets of blood, but I didn't need to. One single stream of blood ran from my mouth, down my chin, to the ground.  
_plip._  
I wiped my chin off with the back of my hand, and stared at the ground. I didn't think much of it, but when I looked back at Claude's face, I knew something horrible had happened.  
"Claude, what-" But I didn't get to finish.  
Claude whipped around to face Jagger, who was now fully smiling. Claude gripped harder at my shoulders, "Is this sacred ground?!" he yelled.  
I froze.  
"what's that?" Jagger grinned.  
"ARE WE ON SACRED GROUND?!" Claude yelled louder.  
"Yes." Jagger shrugged simply, giddy as a bat who just found an empty cave.  
Claude released my shoulders and looked me dead in the eye, "Onyx?"  
I didn't reply. I dry heaved, my head spun, and I had no idea what to do. I bit Jagger. On sacred ground. I...I _owned_Jagger.  
"Not like it would matter, however," Jagger said matter-of-factly, "when a vampire bites another vampire, they're bonded for eternity. Well, in a cemetery of course. Surrounded by dead souls and the afterlife, all that. A lot like humans and vampires, really. Also, with consent of both patrons. And you definitely had mine." he winked, fangs gleaming.  
"God, JAGGER, WHY ME?! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DO THIS?!" I exploded, "I DIDN'T ASK FOR THIS! ANY OF THIS! I just...I JUST WANT TO GO HOME!" With that, tears freely fell down my face. I clung to Claude, all I could. After a moment of reluctance, he wrapped his arms around me too, "sorry I was late." he mumbled. I tried to laugh, but I just couldn't.  
"aww, how sweet." I heard a lilting voice float by me. I looked up and Luna was right beside Jagger.  
"Jagger?" she asked sweetly.  
"yes, Luna?"  
"I'm sorry you had to get stuck with her, brother. Perhaps I could have her mate." she giggled.  
Now, it wasn't really her insulting me that bugged me, it was her claiming Claude that REALLY pissed me off. I felt my vampiric self grow angrier and angrier by the second. Her flirtatious giggle and eye contact with Claude wasn't helping. I pushed Claude off of me and before I knew it, I had her by the throat, a good ways away from Jagger, so I could kill her before he got to her.  
"ONYX!" Jagger yelled, "LET HER GO!"  
I laughed to myself, "Oh, you think I have to listen to YOU!? I bit you! You take MY orders if anything!" Realization crept across his face.  
I could feel Luna struggling under my grip. I had no intention of killing her, just showing her that if she came close to my family again, I simply _could _kill her. "It's funny, really, how Luna is a vampire, too. Also, she's a full fledged, if I'm not mistaken. Right? Alright, good. Yet, I know I'm stronger than her, I could crush her so, so easily."  
For a moment, I felt Luna stop struggling, I imagined a look of sheer terror on her face, if should would have just shut up, she wouldn't be in this situation.  
Unfortunately, without my evil side having the upper hand, I didn't want to kill her, "But, I won't." I sighed, throwing her to the ground. Luna whipped around and fury had taken the place of fear, "YOU ARE SO DEAD!"  
"Duh," I shrugged, looking towards the moonlight, "tell me Luna, does this make me your sister-in-law? I like the sound of that."  
Claude stepped up towards me, "Onyx, let me see you."  
"hmm?" I said distractedly.  
"let me see your lip. Oh my goodness." he sighed a sigh that reminded me or relief.  
"what? huh?" I asked eagerly.  
"you bit your own lip. You must have bitten yourself when I scared you."  
"So I don't have to be bonded with him?" I asked, not caring if I sounded like a little kid. Claude nodded.  
I sighed in relief and collapsed against Claude. Then I remembered what Jagger had said about Claude perhaps just waiting to take me for his own game, and I almost instantly jumped back up, smiling awkwardly. Claude looked at me like I was insane, but I almost didn't notice. I was looking around for Jagger and Luna, but they were gone.


	23. Derek

"Two rooms please." I found Claude saying to the clerk at the front desk of the little hotel.  
"I'm sorry, sir, but we only have one room available." The bubble-brained blonde replied, popping her gum. She obviously just wanted to go home and get ready to club with her friends but got stuck with the night shift.  
Claude ran his hand through his hair, "what? How could you possibly only have one room left?" His sea blue eyes met her hazel.  
She perked up and put on a new persona, completely oblivious to me standing behind Claude. "Well," she batted her lashes, "I suppose we could clear out the Zombie convention, in one of the rooms but I'm not sure how happy my boss will be-"  
Claude sighed, "forget it, give me the key." the girl happily handed it over without asking for money or anything.  
No matter how much I knew Claude hated me right now, or was mad, as we walked away I scoffed, "that was awesome."  
"what?" Claude replied exasperatedly, looking around.  
"she didn't card you or anything." I shook my head in disbelief, if I would have been the one to approach the desk, I would have been scoffed at for sure. Claude sort of stopped in his path but decided to continue,  
"yeah, whatever, that happens a lot for some reason." he now looked distracted, reading the numbers beside each door silently to himself. I had a thought in my head, but I shook it away.  
As Claude turned the key into the door, I noticed a few people dressed as zombies milling around. I smiled and waved at a few, and I swore I could see A.  
"Listen," Claude threw open the door, "that is your side of the room, this is my side." he gestured towards the half closest to the door.  
"Claude, why are you so mad at me?!" I followed him inside.  
"Hmmm, let's think, Onyx. One- you ran out on all of us at the mansion leaving me to have a heart to heart with my cousin. Two- I had to run all over the city trying to find you because you left the Coffin Club. Three- Oh, right, you almost got bonded with that homicidal vampire for all of eternity because you acted STUPID!" he threw his hands up and turned to me, throwing the key on the table. It collided with a glass cup, shattering it and made a "CLANG!" sound causing me to jump.  
Claude flopped on "his" bed and sighed as I stood there in disbelief. It was quiet for about three minutes until I couldn't take the silence anymore, "STUPID?! HOW IN THE WORLD WAS I STUPID?!" I clutched my aching head. I saw Claude jump a little, looking me in the eye like I was crazy. He was about to speak, but I cut him off, "No, you'll let me finish!" I held my hand up, "I used all my willpower trying to say no to him. I almost came crawling back to you, you know why? Because I wanted to bite you, yeah Claude, YOU. Sounds weird...but I didn't because like, how weird would THAT be, right?" I wound my hands through my hair, feeling myself get flustered, continuing, "I mean, we're best friends, brother and sister basically, I mean, come on! So I just let him take me to the cemetery so I could feel normal and come home but I forgot about the bonding rule, I'm sorry. I'm so friggin' sorry I tried to feel better!" I finished with a huff and flopped down on my bed and faced the wall, away from Claude. I closed my eyes and let a single tear fall freely. I felt so dumb about crying over Claude, because I had no idea why I was! I heard no reply from Claude. I almost looked over to see if he was still awake, then I felt him lean over me and smirk, "you're a freak, you know that right?" then he kissed my cheek, then returned to his own bed.  
That was the first time all night I had actually smiled and meant it.

* * *

I awoke sometime in the middle of the night, the room completely dark. Even so, I could see Claude tying the laces of his combat boots.  
"what are you doing?" I shook my wild hair out my eyes and gave him a quizzical look. I looked at the clock and the red numbers flashed 3:00 AM.  
I saw Claude freeze, as if getting caught for doing something...bad, "don't worry about it, go back to sleep." he muttered sleepily.  
I instantly sat up in my bed and crossed my legs, "please tell me."  
Claude looked over at me and flipped on the light, as if it mattered, "I just needed to go for a walk to clear my head."  
"Yeah right," I rolled my eyes, "and I'm trying out for head cheerleader!" I cheered in a fake-prep tone.  
Claude half-smiled and looked up at my through his bangs, "well, good luck with that. But I really need to be alone right now. Just watch TV or something."  
I wasn't done arguing. I kept eye contact, "there's nothing on TV I like."  
"Not even the 'Adult Movie' channels?" he remained eye contact as well.  
I chuckled and shook my mane, "nope."  
Claude sighed, "Onyx, stay. Here."  
"make me." I smirked. Claude faltered, noticing my last quip, knowing I wouldn't back down. But then he uttered something I wasn't expecting,  
"fine. Then I'm staying in." he plopped back down and removed his boots, throwing them against the wall. I growled in frustration and clicked off the lamp and flopped down in my own bed as well.  
I've been laying here despite being exhausted. I glanced at the clock and it read 5:00. I've literally been laying here for two hours doing nothing but replaying the events of tonight over. One thing that really was bugging me is that I actually liked Jagger at one point of my breakdown. A lot. Sort of like I could really have been bonded with him for life without a problem. Another thing that bothered me was that Claude was so mad at me at the mansion, then when he "rescued" me he completely dropped the situation. If anything I'm a little mad that he let me almost being bonded with Jagger go so easily, as if it were nothing. Also, what did he say to Alexander when he had a heart to heart with him? So many things bothered me.  
Having Trevor and Luna and Jagger in the same town as me wasn't helping either. At all, actually.  
Suddenly in the dark room even though I could see, I still felt lonely. Something the dark did to me, I loved it to death, but it still made me feel lonely. I turned over to my side and clutched my pillow, "Claude," I whispered, "Claude are you awake?"  
I heard a faint rustling of sheets, "Yes, Onyx, what do you want?" he mumbled, annoyed. I bit my lip to stifle a laugh. We'd been laying here, both awake for hours, doing nothing. I wondered what he had been thinking about.  
"You realize SummerFest is today right, idiot?" he mumbled.  
I sat up on my elbows, "really?! Crap, that's right! uggggh, it's going to be so awkward facing Kat and them!" I fell backwards.  
"...and Raven."  
"huh?" I knit my eyebrows  
"Raven wanted to go." he tried to put it off as if it were nothing.  
"and?" I pressed.  
"I told her she could come meet us."  
Alright, one thing is going through my mind. Why does he want me and Raven to be friends again all of a sudden? Wasn't it him saying I should stay away from her. Suddenly, Jagger's warning popped up in my head again._ "...how do you know he isn't just using you..."_  
"Oh. Well, when?"  
Claude sighed, "honestly, that's where I was going, to get her. Surprise you." he avoided my eyes.  
"honestly? Were you just going to go meet Kat and them?" I asked, trying to look at him directly. Oddly, I hoped he really was. I would rather him secretly meeting up with them to hunt for vials than meeting Raven. A pang of sadness ran through my stomach and it was worse than the hunger pangs.  
"I was just going to pick her up. Since Alexander can't."  
"he could now. It's night!" I stood up, making my way to the door.  
"where are you going?" Claude asked incredulously.  
"Don't worry about it." I mumbled the line he used on me earlier tonight, throwing open the door and walking barefoot to the lobby.  
I don't know what I was doing down here in the lobby but I didn't want to be in the room. The blonde was gone, but odd enough, the lobby was filled with people for being five in the morning. Most were teenagers. Noticing a sign that read, "Free Coffee" I made my way over to it and mixed the warm drink and retreated to a polka dotted couch. I held the styrofoam cup close to my mouth and let the steam warm my forever freezing face. I sighed and contemplated whether or not I would even go to the concert. On the plus side, I would get to see Kat and they could meet Panic at the Disco and Fall Out Boy. On the downside, did she even WANT to be friends with Raven again? Also, at nighttime Luna and Jagger could come out of hiding.  
I was so focused on tomorrow, I didn't notice I was staring into space and some kid was waving his hand in front of my face, "hellllo?" he called.  
I jolted up and looked into this boys...white...eyes? "yeah?" I asked, expectedly.  
"I was just wondering why you were spacing out like a freak." he laughed, his white teeth gleaming.  
"excuse me?! I'm not the one with white eyes and a T-shirt riddled with bullet holes!"  
"they're fake," he smirked, his black hair flopping in his eyes, "it's for the zombie convention. Duh."  
I rolled my eyes at the stranger, "well, yeah, but why so early?" I handed him another coffee from the stand and he gratefully accepted it.  
"Are you kidding?! This is the perfect time for such a popular convention here! Norman Reedus gets to the center at, like, eleven. We have to get in line early." he said as if it was obvious. This kid reminded me of myself, fangirling over things and talking to complete strangers like it was nothing.  
"I love him," I smiled, sipping my coffee, "I really hope they don't kill him off in-" I trailed off when I noticed my new friend wasn't remotely paying attention to me.  
"yo?" I asked, now I was the one waving my hand in front of his face. He didn't snap back to attention and I followed his eyes to a girl laughing in the corner with black framed glasses and bleached blonde hair. She awkwardly looked over at him and gave a shy little wave.  
"Ohhh, you like her!" I whisper-hissed.  
"what, no I-I don't!" he became flustered. He moved his hair out of his dark complected face.  
"I personally think you have a shot there," I layed back in my seat, stretching my arms nonchalantly, "I mean, you're pretty attractive. You seem to both be into the undead."  
"will you stop talking! I've known you for like two minutes and I already want to punch you in the face!" I could tell he was getting embarrassed.  
"hmmm, that's a new record." I chuckled, "but really. Just talk to her." I shrugged. I looked around at the tan walls and tan tile flooring and felt out of place, even in a room full of rotting flesh loving zombie teens.  
"Oh, yeah, that's funny," he sarcastically rolled his eyes, "haven't you ever had a crush on someone and you can't talk to them?"  
"Well-" and with that, Claude walked into the room, out of the elevator, "no. I haven't." I looked down. The kid could sense something was going on, turning around he motioned to Claude, "is that him?" his eyes widened, "nice."  
I smiled to myself, "that's not him. He's just my...Claude." I rolled my eyes as he approached us.  
"would you quit running off like that?!" he hissed.  
"will you quit lying to me, and keep it down?" I retorted, looking around.  
"No." he said simply.  
"to which one?"  
"both." ouch.  
"Fine, leave then!" I whisper-hissed.  
"I was planning on it, stupid." he rolled his eyes and pushed his way past me and out the front door.  
"are you gonna run after him?" a girl said out of nowhere. I turn around and the bleach blonde girl is sitting beside the boy, who was looking quite pale, wide eyed.  
"No. He does this all the time." I said more to myself than to the girl.  
"Well," she started with a british accent, "love only comes ever so often. You should go after him!"  
"it's not like that. It's complicated. I don't love him or even like him...for that matter. We're just...business partners." I shook my head and laughed bitterly. I saw the two exchange confused looks. I suddenly felt obligated to get these to talking to each other because I knew from experience that neither would make a move.  
"Look, I have to go, maybe I'll see you at SummerFest tonight."  
"oh, yeah, I wanna go so bad!" the girl said, wide-eyed.  
"Me too!" he jumped in quickly. The girl looked at him in surprise and broke into a smile, "cool."  
I shook my head and smiled, "Micheal, Candace. Candace, Micheal." I gestured to them.  
"how did you..." they stared.  
"nametags." I smirked and walked away.  
I now stood outside the hotel, overlooking the highway. I had ran back up to the room to grab my boots, seeing as I forgot them when I stormed to the lobby. I had nowhere to go from here, except just stand and wonder where Claude was. I knew it wasn't to get Raven, which in a way, made me feel a lot better. It was already warm. I looked around for Claude, of course I didn't spot him at all. A thought popped into my brain, but I pushed it out. I thought about running after him like in the movies to some adorable love song and when I reach him the chorus hits and I kiss him and fireworks go off or people throw confetti at us or whatever. I rolled my eyes, I didn't want any of that. What I did want was to go find Kat and get ready for the concert. I am so done with letting Claude rule my whole friggin' life. If this was true, why was I looking around for him.  
I saw a hand in front of my face, "cig?" it was a random guy walking by. Obviously for the convention.  
I shook my head in disgust and pushed them away. He shrugged and walked by. I almost walked back inside.  
Then I looked across the road. I looked a little harder, squinting.  
Until I saw...I saw who it was  
It was Derek. And he saw me too.

* * *

I met his eyes and my stomach turned at their color. His mouth hung open and I took note at the slight stubble on his jaw. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. As I took the tiniest step forward, he snapped back to attention and started to run towards the park with the pond and heavily wooded area. I reached down for my phone and paused. Who would I call? Claude doesn't have his phone, I saw it on the mantle in the room. Everyone else is in the next town over. I thought of calling Jagger and I actually bitterly laughed out loud at that one. I could actually call mom, she would hurry. But then yet another thought crossed my mind, and my head whipped to look over the trees. I could barely see any sunlight, but it would come eventually. I knew I had to help my brother.  
Who else would? I had to help him now.  
I pressed my lips together and swiftly walked across the road until I was out of sight. I tried to remember as best as I could which way he went and I briskly tried to think where he could have went. Where could he have went? He didn't actually know anyone here, did he? Who would he be STAYING with?! My mind froze. No, no he...he wouldn't, would he?  
My mind flew back to when I ran into Jagger on my way from the carnival. What had he said when I ran off...it was about Derek.  
_"do you know..."_  
No. What was it?  
_"You know Luna..."_  
NO. It had nothing to do about Luna! Or...wait...was it?  
_"You know, he _will _belong to Luna." _His smirk popped into my head.  
I gasped out loud and jumped up, running smack into a tree branch.  
LUNA WAS GOING TO CLAIM MY BROTHER!  
I started hyperventilating and looking around, barely feeling the branch.  
"Derek?" I asked, looking into the dark woods. With no reply, I grew deeper and deeper into a panic.  
"DEREK?!" I screamed, bringing my hands to my chest.  
"LISTEN, YOU IDIOT, NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO MESS AROUND!"  
I started crying uncontrollably. His face popped back into my head, he looked so helpless and sad. Like he wanted to die and just leave all this curse nonsense behind. What if he was going to try to kill himself by standing in the sun? What if thats why he's outside?!  
"Oh...GOD!" I sobbed, throwing my head into my hands. I fell to the ground, not knowing what to do. A feeling of relief hit me as soon as I hit the leaf-filled floor. I layed on my arm, still crying. I knew something had to be done, but why by me? Why can't my mother handle it? Why can't Derek just go to sleep. I didn't tell him to kill that little girl. I didn't ask to be cursed.  
I felt my phone vibrate and looked down at it, it was five in the morning. Another three hours and it would be sunrise. Claude was texting me. He must have went back for his phone.  
_Where are you, idiot?! _  
I rolled my eyes and almost threw my phone down when I got another text that made me stop.  
_I swore I saw Derek heading towards the woods. WHERE ARE YOU!?_  
I glanced up and saw nothing ahead of me except leaves and squirrels.  
I slammed my phone down, now feeling like it was my obligation again, "DAMN IT DEREK!" I yelled and collapsed again after trying to stand up. I can't do it. I can't go on.  
An idea popped into my head, "God?" I started hesitantly, looking up.  
"Okay, look, I don't, uh, do this a lot, or at all...really. But I need help. I know I said I don't believe in you because-well, I have no idea why, I'm sorry but I need you. You're all I have left. Listen, I don't-" I stopped, my breath getting caught in my throat, "I don't want my brother to die. I love him, ya know? Please, please, send me a sign if it'll be alright. I need a sign, if it's just a branch falling on me or a meteor or the moon falling on me. Just...please." I whispered and fell silent, listening to the buzzing of crickets.  
"Onyx?" I heard someone call out in disbelief. I thought it was my imagination.  
"God?" I asked, half-joking, half expecting a response.  
"Um, no..." the voice started, standing in front of me, holding out a black fingernailed hand, "Raven."  
I slowly lifted my head until I was looking at a pair of black lips and heavily-lined eyes. I started blubbering again, like an idiot. I have NO idea why, this girl I had been fighting with and hurt so, SO badly, was holding out her hand...for me.  
"Raven?" I asked, she still had her hand outstretched.  
"yeah?" she asked softly, leaving her hand there.  
"I-I'm so, so sorry." I shook my head, tears running down my face.  
"Yeah, well, I was a homicidal maniac too. And, it's okay, really. I was just super pissed that Alexander lied to me about you living with him, I guess. Jealous...I still don't understand why-" she trailed off and let her hand fall and hesitated for a minute, but plopped down beside me. We both sighed a heavy sigh at the same time, letting all our energy out. I sniffled and wiped my eyeliner on my jacket. I started pulling out my mirror, popping it open. I gasped to myself and shut it discreetly, remembering Raven wouldn't appear. But then I just got tired of all the hiding. All the lying. All the...deceitment.  
"Raven?"  
"yeah?"  
"I'm a vampire."  
"WHAT?!" she jumped up, "WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO TELL ME! HOW DARE YOU LIE TO ME, WE WERE BEST FRIENDS!"  
I snapped back to the present and out of my imagination, Raven still waiting on me to reply to her. No way I could tell her,  
"Uh, well, the reason I live with him is because our parents are really good friends and I needed a place to stay because we're having problems in Romania."  
"what kind?"  
"personal. Very personal." I answered, quickly.  
"Oh...why are you crying?" she asked.  
"I'm not crying." I said, straightening up. I didn't want to explain this.  
Raven sighed, "why were you crying? Come on Onyx, tell Dr. Raven what's wrong." she joked.  
"why are you here?" a thought popped out of my mouth.  
Raven seemed to freeze, "no reason. I just thought I'd come here early for the concert."  
"oh, same."  
awkward silence.  
I had to know, I had to know the answer to the question that was bothering me to no end, "Raven, do you believe in...vampires?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.  
"vampires?" she whipped her eyes to me, instantly.  
"yeah, va-vampires."  
now she was the one who looked uncomfortable, "why do you ask?"  
"just curious." I shrugged.  
"yes, I do. More than anything." she laughed and shook her head.  
"anything?" I asked, surprised.  
"well, yeah, look. I mean, when I was younger all I wanted to be was a vampire! Dracula was my celebrity crush." she laughed a little, "it sounds stupid, but I don't care. It's all I want to be."  
I just sat there and nodded a little, more to myself than to her. If I could, I would trade lives with her in a second. She could be the vampire and I could be the vampire-obsessed best friend. That sounds like heaven to me.  
"of course," she added quickly, "thats stupid. Vampires ar-aren't real, right?" she peeked at me.  
I chuckled bitterly, "uh, right." I brought my knees to my chest and rested on them. Suddenly, it dawned on me. I needed to stop being selfish. Unless, of course, until after I save Derek. This isn't just about me, I needed to stop wallowing in self pity. It was up to me to save Derek. He's a vampire, too. He didn't ask for this either. If it was me in his place, I would have wanted him to save me instead of crying on the forest floor.  
Forgetting that Raven was beside me, I bolted up, almost falling over.  
"woah, whats up?" she asked, standing up too. Her wide eyes and almost yearning to help expression made me feel even worse for having to lie to her, "I, just, Derek," I sighed, not knowing how to go about this, "I just, he needs my help."  
But, knowing Raven, that wasn't the end of it. She stood up taller, "what do you mean? What kind of help?"  
"help...that you can't...help with." I sighed, peeking at her. She just stared at me, raising one eyebrow, hands on her hips,  
"look, I know we had some time apart, but you know that I won't listen to that." she shook her hair out of her eyes.  
"Raven, I can't tell you, if I could I would, but I can't."  
Raven searched the ground with her eyes, "what if I guess?!" she asked, making eye contact with me.  
I sighed, at least I should give her this, "alright." I looked at the sky, it seemed like we had time.  
Raven put her hand to her chin, "alright, um, lemme seeeee..."  
"Raven you have unlimited guesses, you know." I sighed, glancing up at the sky.  
"Why do you keep looking up at the sky?" she half-laughed.  
"No reason. But hurry."  
"Why? It's not like Derek's a vampire or anything." she laughed, a little unsure. I froze a little, unsure of how to go about this situation. Do I laugh, too? Or do I just stay serious? Before I could decide, I heard Raven again, "right...Onyx?"  
"huh?" I asked, stupidly.  
"Derek...he isn't...a vampire, right? That's stupid, r-right?" she stuttered, searching nothing in particular with her eyes.  
After a beat too long, I sighed, "right. Stupid," I avoided Raven's eyes, "look, just go wait in our hotel room and I'll be there soon, okay?" I gave her the key card, "And if Claude comes back-"  
"what do you mean 'if'?" Raven's voice was suddenly hard.  
I ignored her, and continued, "just tell him I know you're there and I'll be back soon." Without another glance, I rushed the opposite direction, farther back into the woods. I had a familiar feeling in my stomach.

* * *

I had a feeling that a cemetery was back here. I knew, I just _knew _that Derek would be there. I constantly glanced back to make sure Raven never followed me and after I was sure she wasn't I finally calmed down. The sun was beginning to follow me, and I hadn't found Derek, let alone talked him into coming back to the hotel with me.  
"Derek?" I hissed, looking around. I didn't make it very far until I fell over a stone. I groaned and looked behind me, and it was in fact a tombstone. I looked ahead of me and I came face to face with a cemetery. It looked a lot older than the one in Dullsville, and creepier, too. I looked around, rubbing my arms. "Derek?" I whispered, more unsurely. I heard a screeching noise and saw crows looking down on me. I shuddered.  
"Derek, I know you're here. Come on, I want to help you!"  
"Onyx?!" came a voice, I whipped around, and my stomach dropped. It was Raven.  
And there was a shadow behind her.  
"Raven turn around!" but it was too late, the shadow had come out of hiding. It was Derek.  
"Derek, don't" I silently pleaded.  
Raven let out a yelp, and Derek just looked down on her and smirked.  
"Derek, what are you doing out here?" I said, out loud this time.  
"Calm down, Onyx, I'm not going to hurt her. I just never got to properly meet her."  
Meanwhile, Raven looked confused and a bit scared. Derek would be scaring me too, if I was her.  
"leave her alone, she-she doesn't KNOW."  
"know what?" she spoke up, hating being out of the know, even in life threatening situations.  
"oh, she doesn't, does she? Secrets aren't good to keep you know, Onyx." Derek retorted.  
I was pleading at this point. I didn't want Raven to know, "Derek, STOP. Please!" I ran up to him and clutched his arm.  
"I have no choice." Derek whispered, a sad look behind his crazy eyes. Raven looked even more white as usual. Oh, no. She knew. She had to know.  
"Derek, please." I cried, tears forming behind my eyes.  
"Im so sorry. You have to know it's not me." he began to slowly open his mouth and made his way to Raven's neck. Next thing you know, Raven is out like a light. Fainting, right then and there. Derek caught her, but didn't let up.  
"Derek...DEREK STOP!" I burst, forcing his hands off Raven's neck. Derek pushed me down.  
"oh, God, Claude, HELP me!" I yelled, tears now freely falling.  
"move!" I heard. I snapped my head up, and it was Claude. I closed my eyes in relief and crawled out of the way. _Thank you God. _  
"here, Derek, take this."  
"what is it?!" he snapped.  
Claude revealed a vial, "blood. Now take it, I said. NOW."  
Derek eyes Claude hesitantly, then opened the vial and drank its contents. Almost instantly, the normal colors returned to his face. Derek sat on a loose stone, sighing heavily. He shook his head, as if not remembering what just happened. I sat beside a gravestone until Claude noticed me and helped me up. I hugged him, "thank you. Seriously."  
"whatever. Just get him somewhere."  
"I'll do that." I heard a voice come out of nowhere.  
"Mom?" I asked in disbelief, still holding on to Claude. When I noticed I was, I let go.  
"thank you so much Claude," she turned to look at Derek, "why did you leave the house?"  
Derek didn't respond. He just sat there, with a look of self-hatred on his face.  
"let's go."  
"are you taking him back to Romania?!" I asked.  
"I have no idea."  
"DON'T!" I tried to move forward, but Claude caught me.  
"Onyx, stop." he sighed.  
"don't tell me what to do!" I yelled back. Before I could get away from him, mother and Derek were gone.  
"why did you do that!?" I pushed him away.  
"do you realize maybe going home is a good thing for him?!" Claude yelled back.  
"how can you SAY that?! I get like he does, too! Do you want me to leave, too?!"  
"Onyx do you forget what happens when a vampire bites a human on sacred ground? HUH?"  
I froze. We were on sacred ground, weren't we. Derek almost claimed Raven for himself.  
"Think about what she would have to go through. Think about Alexander." Claude continued, out of breath from running here. He must have went a long way.  
"since when do you care about Alexander?" I retorted, changing the subject.  
"I don't. But he was the one who gave me that vial in the first place."  
"he what?" I froze.  
"yeah. He saved Derek."  
"were those the secret vials?" this time, Claude froze. How could he not have realized?  
"were they? Does he HAVE them?" I yelled.  
"I don't know."  
I scoffed. Suddenly, Raven groaned.  
"we have to get her out of here."  
"I realize that." Claude retorted, picking up Raven. Now we had a new challenge ahead of us. Convincing Raven what just happened...never happened.


End file.
